Shiite ritual marks ages-old grief

KARBALA, Iraq – Some began their long march dressed in white. Others wore black. But with each step, Shiites commemorating their holiest day Saturday flogged themselves with iron chains and sliced their foreheads with swords, slowly turning their cloaks scarlet in a ritual of grief that was banned under ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.

For the second year in a row, hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims marked the festival of Ashoura and came under attack as they did so.

Dozens of people were killed throughout Iraq on Saturday in a wave of attacks – including eight suicide bombings – some of which targeted Ashoura observances. On Friday, at least 36 people, mostly Shiites, were killed in a string of attacks as they gathered on the eve of the festival.

But tight security in Karbala, following deadly Ashoura bombings last year that left 181 dead throughout the country, proved effective. There were no attacks in the city.

Millions of pilgrims flock annually to Karbala and its twin city Najaf, two of the holiest Shiite cities.

According to tradition, Ashoura is the day Imam Hussein, a grandson of the prophet Muhammad, was killed in a seventh century battle for leadership of the faith. His death deepened a rift between Shiite and Sunni Muslims that is still in evidence today.

Shiites blamed Sunni insurgents for the attacks of the past two days as well as last year’s carnage.

To avoid a repeat of last year, Iraq’s interim government sealed all roads leading to the Shiite shrines and banned vehicles from entering Karbala.

Most of the shops were closed and pilgrims who traveled from around the country to attend ceremonies slept on carpets laid out in the streets. Camels, cows and sheep were sacrificed and cooked in enormous pots shared by neighbors and visitors.

Pilgrims flagellate themselves and beat their brows bloody to mourn the death of Imam Hussein. They also hold festivals depicting events of the battle in ritual detail, including scenes depicting the bravery of Hussein’s half brother, Abbas, killed while searching for water for the thirsty group.

Some slice their foreheads with the edge of a sword in a practice known as “al-Tatbeer” – meaning “sword” in Arabic – and beat themselves while chanting “Haidar, Haidar,” a name by which Hussein is also known.

“This is how we should mourn Hussein,” said Fadhil Abdul Abbas, 30. “We should suffer as much as he suffered.”

Volunteers of the Red Crescent, the Muslim Red Cross, stood by Hussein’s shrine in case of medical emergencies.

However, some Shiites refuse to participate in the bloody ritual. Even Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most powerful man in predominantly Shiite Iraq, does not approve of al-Tatbeer, his office told the Associated Press.

Abdul Raziq Hussain said he will not teach his children al-Tatbeer, because “Hussein himself wouldn’t have liked it.”

“I can beat my chest with my hands, I can hold mourning tents and I can make food for the visitors,” the 45-year-old shop owner said. “But I don’t want to harm my body.”