Cairo, December 27: As thousands of Shiite pilgrims are descending on Iraq’s holy shrine city of Karbala for `Ashura commemorations, the Shiite rituals is growing more popular worldwide.
“It’s about standing up for justice, standing up for democracy, standing up for peace and equality,” Mohamed Al-Najjar, of the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center in Dearborn, told.
In different areas across the US, particularly those with large Shiite communities, Islamic centers and mosques are marking the Ashura ritual.
In Michigan and Dearborn, Ashura ceremonies are being held, luring large numbers of people, both Muslims and non-Muslims.
At Byblos Banquet Hall in Dearborn, over 700 people have been attending the 10-day English-language `Ashura program.
“The message is for all people,” Tarek Baydoun, 25, of Dearborn, said.
“It’s about the universal cause of justice.”
Ashura marks the killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) in 680 in Karbala.
It is observed on the 10th day of the month of Muharram with prayers, fasting and supplications.
Fasting the 9th and the 10th of Muharram is a Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad that goes back to a long time before imam Hussein.
For Sunnis, `Ashura marks the day that Prophet Musa was saved from the Egyptian pharaoh.
Muslim scholars have agreed that it is good to fast on the day of `Ashura, although it is not obligatory.
Popular
In the Japanese capital Tokyo, scores of Shiites gathered at Hussaini Imam Bargah to listen to lectures on `Ashura and perform a lamentation ritual known as latmiya.
Attendees listened attentively to Imam Jafar Ali Najam speaking about lessons from the ritual.
“It’s getting bigger (in attendance),” Bijan Shalchi, 49, an Iranian-born Muslim who lives in Japan, said.
In Iraq, thousands of Shiite pilgrims continued to descend on the Iraqi city of Karbala on Saturday for the climax of Ashura.
“I came to show my belief in Imam Hussein this event has nothing to do with personal motivations or politics,” 40-year-old Mohammed Abdul Hussein, who came from neighboring Babil province, told Agence France Press (AFP).
Black flags, representing the sadness of Shiites during `Ashura, are seen all over the city.
Around one million pilgrims are expected to visit Karbala to participate in `Ashura ceremonies.
Shiites make up around 15 percent of Muslims worldwide.
They represent the majority populations in Iraq, Iran and Bahrain and form significant communities in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
-Agencies