Devotion, defiance draw millions of Shiite Muslims to Iraq pilgrimage
Pilgrims march in defiance of Islamic State militants as Shiites commemorate Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, who died in a 7th-century battle at Karbala.
Millions of Shiite Muslim pilgrims defied the threat of jihadist attacks and thronged to the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala for the climax of annual Arbaeen mourning rituals on Saturday.
Some had walked for more than 12 days, from Iraq’s far south or across the border from Iran, while others took buses or crammed into lorries for the journey.
“The efforts of these jihadists are vain because we have all come to Karbala ready to sacrifice, wishing to become martyrs”
Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi said a total of 17 million will have gone through Karbala for Arbaeen this year, including more than four million foreigners from 60 countries.
A sea of devotees descended on the city to reach the shrine of Imam Hussein, beating their heads and chests to show remorse for not saving him from the armies of the caliph Yazid that killed and beheaded him in 680 AD.
While many chanted in unison, rapt in a collective religious trance, others were keenly aware of the symbolic power Arbaeen could have in the war against Islamic State jihadists.
A mortar attack that killed one person on Friday highlighted the huge security concerns surrounding what is believed to be one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.