All articles tagged with #ashura
A Tehran mourning site near Ali Khamenei's death was shut after shroud-wearing ultra-hardliners occupied it for three days, exposing a widening rift inside Iran’s loyalist camp over how to memorialize the slain leader and shape policy, with one faction seeking unity and the other pressing a hardline campaign against officials seen as too pragmatic.
Millions across Iran and around the world observe Ashura, mourning Imam Hussein's martyrdom at Karbala with chest-beating, elegies, and communal meals, as pilgrims travel to Karbala; the observance comes during the first Muharram since Iran's Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated in February.
Shiite communities mark Ashura in war-torn regions: in Iran’s capital Tehran mourners fill streets and shrines as processions and elegies proceed; in Lebanon, faithful attend sermons and visit graves linked to the Ashura commemoration, with banners and respect for Hussain’s memory; and in Pakistan, security is heightened to protect Shiite mourners amid sectarian tensions. Leaders frame the observances as acts of sacrifice and resistance against oppression, while Iran’s leadership and regional actors weave Ashura into political rhetoric during a period of economic and geopolitical pressure.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei made his first public appearance since the start of the Iran-Israel conflict, greeting worshippers at a mosque during Ashura, amid ongoing tensions and military exchanges between Iran and Israel.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in a speech on the eve of Ashura, called Israel a "cancerous tumor" that will be eradicated by the current Palestinian generation. He predicted Israel's collapse within 80 years and accused Western intelligence of fueling sectarian strife in the region. Nasrallah vowed continued resistance against Israel's actions in Gaza, which have resulted in significant Palestinian casualties and displacement of Israeli settlers.
Tens of thousands of Muslims worldwide observed Ashura, commemorating the seventh-century death of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein. The day, marked on the 10th of Muharram, is especially significant for Shia Muslims who mourn through rituals like chest beating and self-flagellation. Major cities like Baghdad and Tehran were adorned with symbols of mourning, while Sunni Muslims observed the day with voluntary fasting. In Muscat, a shooting at a Shia mosque killed at least six people.
A bomb exploded near the Sayeda Zeinab shrine, Syria's most visited Shia pilgrimage site, killing at least six people and injuring over 20 others a day before Ashura, a day of mourning observed by Shia Muslims. The blast, described as a "terrorist bombing," occurred when a motorcycle exploded near a taxi. The area is known for its significance to Iranian militias, allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. This is the second explosion in the neighborhood leading up to Ashura, with previous attacks targeting the shrine during the country's civil war.
Shia Muslims around the world are participating in Muharram gatherings and processions to commemorate Ashura, which marks the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala. The rituals include fasting, special prayers, chest-beating, self-flagellation, and reenactments of Hussein's journey. Some Shia authorities oppose the practice of self-flagellation, while others see it as symbolic of the innocent blood shed in Hussein's killing. Ashura is a significant day for both Sunni and Shia Muslims, and it is observed as a national holiday in several countries.