Arbaeen Congregation Demonstration of Muslim Unity: Iranian MP
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian lawmaker described the enormous congregation of Muslim pilgrims who converged on the Iraqi city of Karbala to attend mourning rituals as a signal of the Islamic world’s awareness.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency on Monday, Avaz Heidarpour said the gathering of more than 20 million pilgrims in Karbala to commemorate Arbaeen, the 40th day after the anniversary of martyrdom of the third Shiite Imam, stunned the world and revealed that the Muslims are united and vigilant.
He said the huge gathering of pilgrims in the holy city of Karbala sent the message of Muslim solidarity to the US and the terrorists it has trained, namely the ISIL militants.
More than 20 million pilgrims from all over the world gathered in Karbala to attend the mourning ceremonies marking Arbaeen, the 40th day after the anniversary of martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS).
Each year, pilgrims, mainly from Iraq and Iran, travel long routes on foot to Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located.
This year’s procession was of even greater significance as the ISIL terrorist group, known by both Sunni and Muslims as a foreign-backed enemy of Islam, has seized parts of Iraq since an invasion this summer.
The militants could make swift advances in northern and western Iraq after capturing large swaths of northern Syria.
However, a combination of concentrated attacks by the Iraqi military and the popular forces, who rushed to take arms after top Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa calling for fight against the militants, have blunted the edge of the ISIL offensive.