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30-08-2020
By SJA Jafri + Bureau Reports + Agencies+ Int’l News Desk
KARBALA/ TEHRAN/ NEW DELHI/ HYDERABAD DECCAN/ KARACHI/ LONDON/ PARIS/ NEW YORK/ MELBOURNE/ KABUL/ KUWAIT CITY/ SAMASCUS/ SANA’A/ MADINA/ QATIF/ABUJA (NIGERIA):
Millions of Muslims, wearing gloves and face masks, have marked the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shias’ Imam on Ashura, one of the largest Muslim gatherings since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
Ashura is the culmination of a 10-day annual mourning period in the lunar calendar month of Muharram for Imam Hussein (PBUH), a grandson of Prophet Mohammad (Blessings of God upon him and his progeny).
The third Shias’ Imam and his 72 companions were martyred in the Battle of Karbala in southern Iraq in 680 AD after fighting courageously for justice against the much larger army of the Umayyad caliph, Yazid
On the eve of Ashura, known as Tasu’a, the faithful remember Abbas ibn Ali, Imam Hussein’s half-brother, who was martyred shortly before the Imam as he tried to bring water to women and children in Imam’s camp, who had no water to drink for days due to a siege by the enemy forces.
The Muharram ceremonies symbolize the eternal and unwavering stance of truth against falsehood and humanity’s struggle against injustice, tyranny and oppression, the cause for which Imam Hussein was martyred.
Each year on Ashura, Shia Muslims, dressed in black, march in mass mourning processions and listen to elegies, with benefactors distributing votive food.
This year, however, ceremonies are different as large gatherings have been banned due to the coronavirus pandemic and people have been advised to take part in outdoor events while observing social distancing rules.
Shia Muslim commemorates Ashura in several countries such as Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, 
Bahrain, Lebanon, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
In Iraq, where typically millions of people from around the world flock to Karbala, thousands of tearful pilgrims flooded the golden-domed shrine Sunday but with coronavirus numbers spiking across the globe, this year’s commemoration was subdued.
Small clusters of pilgrims gathered in the vast courtyards outside the main mosque, wearing the customary mourning color of black and the new addition of medical masks and gloves.
Teams of shrine employees sprayed disinfectant mist through long, thin hoses or distributed masks to any bare-faced visitor. To be allowed into the shrine, people must first have their temperatures taken.
Inside, signs on the carpet floor indicate the proper distance that should be kept between worshipers as they pray.
In Lebanon, which has seen a severe coronavirus spike this month, Hezbollah and Amal movements scrapped large 
Ashura processions. They asked the faithful to follow sermons online and through media channels.
In a post on his Twitter account on Saturday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh stressed that Iran’s resistance stems from Ashura.
“Iran’s consistency in resisting hegemony has roots in this culture. No power, no matter how cruel, can take this away from a nation ready to sacrifice,” he wrote.
Millions of Iranian Shiite Muslims held solemn mourning ceremonies nationwide on Sunday to mark Ashura Day.
Ashura takes place on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic lunar calendar. Shiite Muslims commemorate the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of Prophet Mohammed, who was killed and buried in Karbala in 680 A.D.
Despite a tradition every year to march in the streets and chant religious anthems, the mourners in the capital 
Tehran this year gathered in separate groups in local districts, holy shrines and private communities to observe the day.
Iran’s health authorities had called on mourners to wear masks and practice social distancing in a bid to take precautions about the possible spread of the disease.
Many people also stayed at their homes and followed up with live feeds of funeral ceremonies on TV and internet.
The authorities had also announced strict measures on distribution of food and drinks which people used to offer every Ashura as a sign of votives.
In his earlier messages, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had urged the mourners to comply to the advice of health officials during Muharram rituals.
Similar ceremonies were held in other Iranian cities and villages on Sunday where people stopped business and economic activities.
The participants in processions beat chest as a display of their devotion to Imam Hussein.
Millions of Shia Muslims across the world particularly in United Kingdom (UK) United States of America (USA), Canada, France, Germany, Australia, India (especially Lucknow, Hyderabad Deccan of Talangana State), Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Abuja (Nigeria), Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Azad Jammu Kashmir, Islamabad and many other Asian, African, European American countries celebrated Ashura according to their tradition, culture and believes while the Yazidis/ Takfiris, Daesh, ISIS/ISIL, Taliban and many other terror organizations and groups, their facilitators, financers, supporters and sympathizers monitored Shia Muslims globally under the direct supervision of their commanders means America, Israel, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Australia, UK and German’s regimes and they tried to block and break Ashura activities of Shia Muslims but luckily no big incident or terror bid took place across the world.
