Hundreds of thousands of Shias gather in Karbala

Al Jazeera ^ | Tuesday 22, April, 2003

[WaveThatFlag]

Hundreds of thousands of Shia Muslims used a long-suppressed pilgrimage on Tuesday to flex their newly found political muscle in post-Saddam Iraq, with some demanding the withdrawal of United States-led forces.

The crowd beat their heads and chests and flogged their backs with chains in grief for Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammed's grandson, who was beheaded in this holy city in AD 680 by an Omeyyad caliph.

Many entered Hussein's domed mausoleum crawling, in a sign of humility and guilt because the imam's followers abandoned him in the battle against the Omeyyads. Thousands of Iraqi Muslim Shia pilgrims crowd around the Imam Hussein mosque in Karbala

These rituals to commemorate the 40th day after the anniversary of Hussein's death were banned during Saddam Hussein's 24-year rule, as the ousted president feared they could turn into a revolt.

Pilgrims used to be ferried on buses to Karbala, 80 km south of Baghdad, supervised by Baath party members and security services.

The Shia sect that is a minority in Islam, is a majority in Iraq, making up more than 60 percent of the country's 25 million people. But few were represented in Saddam Hussein's government, which crushed a Shia uprising encouraged by the US in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War.

Their leaders have encouraged Iraqi Shias to head to Karbala, to revive the old rituals and to voice their claim to better political representation and even leadership in a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq.

"O Hussein, you have won, Saddam the despicable is gone," chanted the crowd soaked in sweat, marching under a blazing sun around Hussein's golden mausoleum, comparing his persecution to their suffering during Saddam's rule.

"Saddam, thug, where are you now?," they shouted, filling the vast palm-lined esplanade next to the mausoleum with the black flags of mourning, the green flags of Islam and the red flags of revolt.

They carried pictures of the bleeding head of Imam Hussein and portraits of two Shia leaders executed under Saddam Hussein, Mohammed Baqer al-Sadr and Mohammed Sadeq al-Sadr.

The crowd repeated slogans calling for unity between Shia and Sunnis, and between Shia political groups, represented by Iraq-based Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr and Sayyid Ali Sistani, and by Iran-based Sayyid Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim.

"No Sunnis, no Shias, Islamic Unity," they chanted. Some also shouted slogans demanding a US withdrawal from Iraq. "If America stays, it will suffer," shouted a group of some 3,000 people as they passed in front of a hotel housing foreign reporters.

"No to colonialism, no to occupation," "No to America, no to Saddam, no to tyranny, no to Israel," they continued.

US forces along the route to Karbala were keeping a low profile for the gathering in hopes of avoiding further agitation for an end to what many Iraqis see as a "foreign occupation."

The commemoration will continue on Wednesday with Shia leaders expecting more than a million. Committees supervised by Shia religious leaders organised the pilgrimage. No incidents of violence have been reported.

"It's extraordinary, the people have taken the matter in their hands and it's working," said Haidar Humaidan, one of the volunteers channelling worshippers into the mausoleum topped with golden minarets and dome.

[WaveThatFlag]

shouted a group of some 3,000 people

(Translation: <1%)

[My2Cents]

The crowd beat their heads and chests and flogged their backs with chains in grief for Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammed's grandson, who was beheaded in this holy city in AD 680 by an Omeyyad caliph.

[TheCrusader]

Whipping each other with chains? Cutting their own heads open with swords? They should have this "holy" day seven days a week. By the year 2010 there would be no Muslims left to worry about.

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

The crowd beat their heads and chests and flogged their backs with chains in grief for Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammed's grandson, who was beheaded in this holy city in AD 680 by an Omeyyad caliph.

Time to move on, perhaps? Sustaining such negative emotions for over 1300 years can't be healthy.

[dc-zoo]

They don't have saddam around to beat their asses and faces bloody anymore so now they must do it themselves. These are some very funky people.

[ecomcon]

...with the black flags of mourning, the green flags of Islam and the red flags of revolt.

So symbolically, we have Anarchy, Islam, and Communism.

They sure can pick'em.

[MissAmericanPie]

I don't hold out alot of hope for this entire region of the world. The region contributes oil. The people of the region contribute....???....oh yeah, the ultimate in diversity.

[cerberus]

Time to move on, perhaps? Sustaining such negative emotions for over 1300 years can't be healthy.

Not to defend fanatical elements of Islam, but let's remember that there are also people who have themselves nailed to crosses on Good Friday.

[ZULU]

You can count those nuts on the fingers of one hand.

The number of Shiite fanatics is in the hundreds of thousands.

[My2Cents]

I despair that this kind of culture can build a society that is open and free. Five years from now, regardless of what path Iraqis take, we can at least say we freed them of the terror of Saddam, and gave them the best chance they had to build a new society.

[mrsmith]

"Yeah, it's far out, man...I don't know, uh like, how many of you can dig how many people there are, man. Like I was rappin' to the fuzz, heh, right? Can you dig it? Man, there's supposed to be a million and a half people here by tonight, can you dig that? The Karbala Thruway is closed, man, heh..."

Fingers crossed, it seems to be going pretty well.

[WaveThatFlag]

You people have showed the world that a group of Shias can have three days of fun and Allah. And have nothing but fun and Allah. And I God bless you for it!

[My2Cents]

So symbolically, we have Anarchy, Islam, and Communism.

Compare this with the foundational values present in colonial America, and reflected in our founding documents. Our nation was built on values that mistrusted centralized power for fear it would result in autocratic rule; values that promoted personal liberty because our founders believed human rights were God-given, not state-allowed. Islam seems to glory in death, nihilism, fatalism, spiritual oppression, and mass-conformity rather than individual liberty. I doubt that Shia Islam could ever create a free society.

[ecomcon]

Unfortunately, It seems that it is a culture based on lies and an excessive admiration for power. It is a difficult and dangerous task that forces of democracy have begun. God help us all to perform it.

[mc5cents]

They don't have saddam around to beat their asses and faces bloody anymore so now they must do it themselves. These are some very funky people.

LOL! They don't call 'em Wacky Iraqis for nothing.

[Salman]

The crowd beat their heads and chests and flogged their backs with chains in grief for Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammed's grandson, who was beheaded in this holy city in AD 680 by an Omeyyad caliph.

Time to move on, perhaps? Sustaining such negative emotions for over 1300 years can't be healthy.

Note that Ali was killed by another Muslim.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" The crowd beat their heads and chests and flogged their backs with chains in grief for Imam Hussein,"

Wow- Spring break in Karbala. Can " Shias Gone Wild" be far behind ?? Someone might want to clue in the whining,recently liberated Isamics who fear Americans would voluntarily chose to stay in their country. For starters, if Iraq ever gets clean water,indoor plumbing,air conditioning,democracy,Starbucks, malls,law and order,Fox News on their cable,football,grocery stores where the food isn't covered with flies,20th century health care,no camels running through the streets,no sand and dirt as far as the eye can see,etc,etc-they might start to worry about Americans loitering in their country. If the DNC can figure out a way to register these whining ingrates, they'll have their new base.

[valkyrieanne]

Liberated, only to embrace new chains.

[Frank_2001]

Truly beating the Shiite out of themselves;)