Ashura, day of sorrow

"At least 20 people — many of them women and children — were killed in three bomb blasts about 50 miles south of Baghdad, security officials and hospital officials said. Dozens more were injured.

In the capital, another three explosions in heavily Shiite neighborhoods left three people dead and nearly 20 wounded, police officials said.

The attacks came as hundreds of thousands of worshipers flocked to the holy city of Karbala to celebrate Ashura, which commemorates the death of a foundational figure in Shiite Islam more than 1,000 years ago."

Ashura has been attacked before, and not just in Iraq, but Iraqi Shia have been the primary victims of Wahhabi terrorism since 2003.

More on Ashura: "Shia Imams strongly insist that the day of Ashura should not be taken as a day of joy and festivity. According to a hadith which is reported from Ali claiming it was on that day the God forgave Adam, Noah's Ark rested on dry land, The Israelites were saved from Pharaoh's army, etc. The day of Ashura, according to Eighth Shia Imam, Ali al-Rida, must be observed as a day of inactivity, sorrow and total disregard of worldly cares."

Iraqi govt protects Ashura protesters, Iranian govt arrests & kills them

'During yesterday's Shia observance of Ashura, more than 5,000 protesters gathered outside the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala to protest the policies of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in advance of March elections.

According to the Washington Post, "After the US invasion, the day had been embraced by the country's Shiite majority a moment to express solidarity in their new found political power and long frustrated political freedom." Saddam Hussein so feared the power of the observance that he barred public commemoration of it under his rule.

But under Iraq's democratically elected government, troops on the street were there to prevent violence, not to confront the protesters or suppress the protest.

Moreover, the protests were not taking place to question the legitimacy of the government but its policies. Shiite leader Amar al-Hakim stated, "We can see the political money, temptations and seductions. Iraqi people don't want promises to disappear after the election. People will not obey any extortions," sounding very much like American supporters of McCain-Feingold or, ironically, earmark critic Senator Tom Coburn.

Contrast that with Iran, where Ashura sparked widespread anti-government protests. The nascent opposition, which took to the streets last summer to protested the rigged presidential elections, came out in force again, this time confronting security forces, with more protesters killed and scores arrested.'

Mousavi's nephew killed

"The nephew of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the Iranian opposition leader, has reportedly been killed in violence surrounding street protests in Tehran during the Shia Muslim festival of Ashoura."

WSJ Reports: Sectarian Violence Continues in Iraq

Sectarian Violence Continues in Iraq

"Attacks in the capital and the southern town of Hilla killed at least 26 in Iraq on Thursday and Friday, with religious-tinged violence ticking up as Christmas coincided this year with one of Shiite Islam's most important observances.

Ashura, a 10-day commemoration of the death of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson, one of Shiite Islam's most revered figures, culminates Sunday. Hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims stream to the Iraqi cities Karbala and Najaf, providing a convenient target for sect-based violence."

Meanwhile the Arabs continue their KABOBfest and they continue to complain about US "occupation" and "imperialism".

The one-sided sectarian violence continues

It's good to see the mainstream media reporting the truth about Iraq. The Associated Press acknowledged the sectarian nature of the recent violence:

Explosions killed at least 26 people across Iraq on Thursday, most of them Shiite pilgrims taking part in a holy mourning ceremony, authorities said, raising fears of further sectarian attacks at the approach of Shiite Islam's most solemn occasion.

The deaths came three days before the climax of Ashoura, when hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims converge on the central city of Karbala to mourn the killing of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein, in a 680 A.D. battle that sealed the split between Shiites and Sunnis.

While Thursday's attacks were smaller than similar bombings in previous years, they demonstrated the continued ability and intent of insurgents to incite sectarian tensions.

Al Jazeera had to report that Shia were attacked, but they quoted a journalist in Baghdad who said "They were not by the hand of al-Qaeda - they were not suicide bombers, but mostly car bombs and bombs beside cars."

They were not suicide bombings, but does this mean they were not carried out by AQ? I think it just means that AQ is low on suicide bombers.  Or it means the bombings were strictly the work of Saddamists. 

Al Jazeera has come a long way from 2004 and 2005, when they did not identify the sects of victims in Iraq.  Like many biased Arabs, before 2006 Al Jazeera could not bring themselves to admit that their "brave and honorable resistance" would bomb places of worship and kill innocent Iraqis.  AJ seemed to refuse to admit that Sunni extremists were terrorizing Iraq's Shia population.  Even western media did not  discuss the sectarian nature of the violence before 2006.  

Some western media seemed themselves to be biased.  After the Iraqi government closed down Al Jazeera's office in Baghdad in 2004, a Guardian journalist reported the "raid followed a decision by the prime minister, Ayad Allawi, to close the station temporarily in August because of its apparent failure to support the US occupation."  Really? Is that why they closed AJ's Baghdad office?  So it had nothing to do with AJ's biased reporting and their praise of the "resistance" that was attacking Iraqi security forces and civilians?  If Al Jazeera was that concerned about US occupation, why did they never criticize Qatar, where CENTCOM and Al Jazeera's headquarters are?  Did Al Jazeera not know of CENTCOM's role in the US invasion(s) and occupation of Iraq?  Or are the Arabs simply hypocrites?  To be fair, Al Jazeera was funded by the Emir of Qatar, which explains their bias and lack of journalistic consistency.  But the ordinary Arabs and the "intellectual" and "educated" Arabs did not discuss AJ's hypocrisy, which to me symbolizes the stupidity of these "intellectual" and "educated" Arabs.  As'ad Abu Khara (Happiest Father of Shit) is a good example.  

Over the years Al Jazeera has changed and today they appear to be more objective.  They seemed to be influenced by western media and eventually they acknowledged the sectarian nature of the violence, especially after innocent Sunni Arabs in Baghdad were rounded up and murdered by Shia militias in 2006.  

Although western media reported that Shia were being attacked in 2004 and 2005, they did not call it "sectarian" violence.  In the eyes of the media, it was not "sectarian" violence until Shia militias began killing innocent Sunni Arabs.  

The one-sided sectarian violence continues in Iraq, and the mainstream media is actually reporting it this time; they are correctly calling it "sectarian" violence.  Arab and Arab American bloggers, meanwhile, continue their KABOBfest and they continue to praise the "resistance" and condemn the "puppet" government of Iraq.  


PS: The Washington Post also called it sectarian violence!  


"The Shiite festival, commemorating the death of Imam Hussein in 680 AD, has been marred over the past six years by sectarian violence."

The Salafi is a mental midget

Only a Salafi would emphasize his intolerance of other religions by bombing places of worship and ceremonies of other religions.  I wonder if the Salafi knows this kind of behavior makes him look bad and will certainly not win any converts to Islam!

'At least eight people have been killed in attacks targeting Christians and Shi'ite Muslims as they prepare to observe coinciding holidays.

A bomb exploded near a historic church in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul Wednesday, killing two people in the latest attack targeting the city's Christian minority.

The attack wounded five people and caused damage to the Church of St. Thomas, which dates back to the eighth century.  The bombing came a day before Christians are due to celebrate Christmas Eve.

Islamic militants in Iraq have frequently targeted Christians since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, driving many to flee the country.

In Baghdad, police say three separate bombings targeting Shi'ite worshipers killed at least six people and wounded about 40 others.

The attacks came as Shi'ites gathered to observe the solemn Ashura holiday, which marks the seventh-century killing of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.'

Upside Down Priorities

My father called me earlier, after returning from Paris, where he attended a conference on Iraqi oil. He told me about the conference and I asked him why the Iraqi government does not resurrect the Iraqi National Oil Company. He said it's because they are asleep; they are more focused on latmiya than on oil and the economy. They would rather award upstream contracts to big oil because it's easy, and because the cash is quick, I imagine.

While searching for a good latmiya video to link to, I found a video memorializing the attacks on Ashoura. The video is itself a latmiya, drawing parallels between Husayn and the victims of such attacks. It is not clear which attack the footage comes from, even though the title says 2005-2006. There have been many Ashoura and Arba3een bombings - the largest in scale occurred in 2004 - today happens to be the 4th anniversary of that attack. I don't know how many have been killed this year, but at least 63 were killed in one bombing. I realized that the people who attack pilgrims have their priorities upside down too.

Arba3een in Iraq made possible by USA

Update (March 1): I found this photo on Wikipedia. The photo was taken by a US Defense Department employee:

After thinking about Arba3een the last few days, I couldn't help but conclude that it is somewhat ironic that Iraqis are now allowed to make the pilgrimage to Karbala thanks to the USA. I just read this article, which Maury linked to in a comment: '"Under Saddam, those who went to Karbala were killed or had their legs shot so they could not walk again," said Hussein Hamad, 74, one of the pilgrims in the giant procession snaking towards the city.'

Also Abbas Hawazin has just published a good post about Arba3een and the Shia. If you want to see what a Shia shrine looks like, inside and out, watch this video, which I shamelessly stole from Abbas's post. Thanks Abbas!

PS (March 2): I should have said "it is somewhat ironic that Shia are now allowed to make the pilgrimage to Karbala thanks to the USA."

No Arab Coverage of Shia Pilgrims' Call for Peace?

I've been looking for Arab media coverage of the calls for peace by Shia pilgrims, but I can't find any. Al Jazeera did cover today's violence in Iraq, but no mention of the calls for peace. Please leave a comment if you find anything that mentions the peace banners or Hakim's speech.

Jan. 30, 2007, 2:56PM
On Shiites' holiest day, 58 dead in Iraq

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press Writer
© 2007 The Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Bombers struck Shiite worshippers in two cities Tuesday and gunmen ambushed a busload of pilgrims in a series of attacks that killed at least 58 people as more than 2 million Shiites jammed major shrines for ceremonies marking Ashoura, the holiest day of the Shiite calendar.

The bloodshed took place despite heightened security following a battle with messianic Shiites who authorities said planned a large assault on Ashoura ceremonies. With security so intense at the main venues, extremists chose targets in smaller cities where safety measures were less stringent.

In the deadliest attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of worshippers entering a Shiite mosque in Mandali near the Iranian border, killing 26 people and wounding 47, according to police. At least 12 more died and 28 were wounded when a bomb exploded in a garbage can as Shiites were performing outdoor rituals in the largely Kurdish city of Khanaqin, police said.

In Baghdad, gunmen in two cars opened fire on a bus carrying pilgrims to the capital's most important Shiite shrine, killing seven and wounding seven, police said. Hours later, mortar shells rained down on two mostly Sunni neighborhoods, killing nine and wounding 30 in what police said appeared to be a reprisal attack.

One person was killed in a mortar attack on a Shiite neighborhood, police said. Two policemen were killed in a bombing in Mosul and a Shiite man was shot dead in Baghdad, police said.

But intense security prevented major violence in the Shiite holy cities of Karbala and Najaf, venues for the biggest and most important Ashoura commemorations. Police found eight bodies Tuesday of people slain by sectarian death squads in Baghdad, the lowest single-day total in months.

Ashoura ceremonies mark the 7th-century death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, in a battle near Karbala that cemented the Sunni-Shiite schism. Worshippers beat themselves with chains, slice their heads with knives and pound their chests in expressions of grief over the death of Imam Hussein.

More than 1.5 million pilgrims, mostly Iraqis but from as far away as India and Pakistan, jammed the southern city of Karbala for the Ashoura commemorations, according to provincial Gov. Akeel al-Khazaali. Hundreds of thousands more joined rituals in Najaf, Baghdad and other cities.

In Karbala, all private transport was banned — including bicycles — and pilgrims had to submit to body-searches at dozens of checkpoints before reaching the two golden-domed shrines of Imam Hussein and his half brother Imam Abbas. U.S. unmanned surveillance aircraft flew over the city to look for signs of trouble, al-Khazaali said.

"Even if the terrorists tear us to pieces, we will not stop coming to visit Imam Hussein," said Abbas Karim, 27, a laborer from Nasiriyah.

Security has been tight at Ashoura commemorations since a string of bombings and suicide attacks killed at least 181 people at Shiite shrines in Baghdad and Karbala in 2004. Last year's Ashoura commemorations were largely peaceful, but suicide bombers killed 55 Shiites in 2005.

This year, fears of sectarian attacks were running high because of ongoing Sunni-Shiite violence, which surged after last February's bombing of a major Shiite shrine in the mostly Sunni city of Samarra.

Security measures were further tightened after U.S.-backed Iraqi forces fought a fierce, all-day battle last weekend with hundreds of messianic Shiites who officials said were planning to slaughter pilgrims and clerics during Ashoura commemorations in Najaf.

In Najaf, deputy Gov. Abdul-Hussein Abtan said that more than 300 militants were killed and 650 captured in the battle, which ended Monday. He said 11 Iraqi troops were killed and 30 wounded. Two U.S. soldiers died when their helicopter crashed during the fighting.

Shia Call For End to Violence

Thank you valerie at ITM:)

Shi'ite pilgrims call for end to violence in Iraq

By Sami Jumaili

KERBALA, Iraq, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Shi'ite pilgrims called for an end to sectarian killing in Iraq as they swamped the holy city of Kerbala on Monday to commemorate the death of the Prophet Mohammad's grandson in battle there 1,300 years ago.

Some of the two million black-clad pilgrims attending the annual Ashura event sought to emphasise Muslim unity and dampen the communal tensions between Sunnis and Shi'ites that have raised fears of an all-out civil war.

"Stop the bloodletting," read one banner held aloft by pilgrims; "Let us make Ashura a day for brotherhood among Iraqis," read another; "We are all Muslims," a third.

"Every Day Is Ashura"

Attack on Ashoura

They have attacked Shia during Ashoura before, and it appears that this year the Iraqi and US forces have prevented at least one huge attack:

BAGHDAD, Iraq Jan 28, 2007 (AP)— 'U.S.-backed Iraqi troops on Sunday attacked insurgents allegedly plotting to kill pilgrims at a major Shiite Muslim religious festival, and Iraqi officials estimated some 250 militants died in the daylong battle near Najaf. A U.S. helicopter crashed during the fight, killing two American soldiers.'

They want to kill Sistani on Ashoura. Big prize there if they do that.

Update: Zeyad says that this was probably a Shi'i splinter group that opposes Sistani, and that the US was duped by SCIRI into attacking this group of cultists.