Ecstatic Shi’ites flock to Karbala

Hammering their chests and whipping their backs, hundreds of thousands of frenzied Shi’ite Muslims swarmed through Iraq’s holy cit...

Hammering their chests and whipping their backs, hundreds of thousands of frenzied Shi’ite Muslims swarmed through Iraq’s holy city of Karbala on Tuesday on a pilgrimage long suppressed by Saddam Hussein.

Free for the first time in decades to mark one of the most sacred events of their year, some men slashed their heads with long knives and left bloody wounds to show their readiness to die for Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

Shi’ite leaders say a million or more people may flock to Karbala, 110 km from Baghdad, for the climax of the pilgrimage, Arbaiin, commemorating the 40th day after the death of Imam Hussein who was killed in the city in 680 AD. A senior cleric issued an appeal for calm, saying: ‘‘Beware of violence and extremism because they can breed enmity, spiral out of control and have dangerous consequences.’’

Some waved black flags for mourning, others the green flag of Islam. Many women had walked barefoot on hot and dusty roads to reach Karbala. A woman, Wedad Mina, was still enthusiastic after a three-day walk all the way to Karbala from Baghdad. ‘‘We are ecstatic to be able to mark our Shi’ite pilgrimage in such openness after the fall of Saddam Hussein,’’ she said. (Reuters)

EAM Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Rubio hold bilateral discussions in New York

India3 hr ago

Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar and US Senator Rubio met in New York to discuss the 25% tariff on Indian oil imposed by Trump. This was their first in-person meeting since the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting. India and the US also began talks for a trade agreement, with positive discussions during a recent visit by US trade officials to India.

View all shorts

Live Blog