Thousands of pilgrims leave Karbala in Iraq after taking part in Arbaeen rituals

(25 Aug 2024)
RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Karbala, Iraq - 25 August 2024
1. Various of thousands of pilgrims leaving Karbala after taking part in Arbaeen rituals, Imam Hussein shrine in background
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Kadim Ali, volunteer during Arbaeen festival:
“We have been serving the pilgrims day and night for the past sixteen days in the holy city of Karbala, we provided (free) lunch, dinner, and breakfast.”
3. Various of pilgrims boarding buses
4. Passenger vans leaving bus station
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mouhammed Hussein, volunteer during Arbaeen festival:
“We have set up our processions (food stands) to serve the pilgrims of Imam Hussein and we ask Allah to accept that from us. Today is the Arbaeen (40th) day and we have started to dismantle the processions (tents & food stands) that we have been (serving)in Karbala for the past fifteen days.”
6. Various of dismantled tents and food stands being loaded on to truck
STORYLINE:

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Shiite Muslims on Sunday marked the end of the Arbaeen festival in the holy city of Karbala.

The event commemorates the seventh-century death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, the Shiite saint Imam Hussein, who became a symbol of resistance during the tumultuous first century of Islam’s history.

Volunteers in Karbala began the process of dismantling food stands and tents which provided more than 3 million pilgrims with free food and drink during the pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage has gained political symbolism because it was banned under the regime of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

This year Arbaeen was shrouded with sadness over the war in Gaza, now in its 11th month, and worries it may expand into a regional conflict.

Hussein's death exacerbated the schism between Islam’s two main sects, Sunni and Shiite.

However, for many Muslims, that division has now taken a back seat to shared anger and grief over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza where more than 40,000 have so far been killed.

The Israel-Hamas war broke out following the group's surprise attack on southern Israel, killing nearly 1200 people and taking 250 others hostage.

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