KHANAQIN, Kurdistan Region - Thousands of Muslim Kurds from Shia sect hit the streets of Khanaqin town commemorating the killing of Imam Hussein, grandson of Prophet Muhammed, holding Kurdish flag and pictures of Peshmerga martyrs in the fight against Islamic State, or ISIS.
A number of the attendants of the Ashura gatherings wore t-shirt with pictures of Imam Ali, the cousin of Prophet Muhammed, and Major General Hussein Mansour, Peshmerga commander killed by ISIS snipers earlier 2015, southwest of Kirkuk. Hussein Mansour was a Kurd from Shiite sect originally from Khanaqin.
“We remember Peshmerga today for all the great work they have done. We appreciate that they are providing our security with their sacrifices,” spoke Ali Hassan, one attendant of Ashura gathering to Rudaw.
Some of the Muslim Kurds from Sunni sect also attended Ashura activities.
“It is not about being Sunni or Shiite. We are Kurds before anything else,” Yassin Aman, a Sunni Kurd from Jaff tribe told Rudaw.
“Attending Ashura and remembering Imam Hussein is a tradition left to us. This was my father’s advice to me to always remember and love Imam Hussein,” he added.
A large number of Kurdish security forces and Peshmerga secured Ashura gatherings.
“We were able to implement our plan for the Ashura anniversary. There have been no security breaches, not even a small fight,” said Colonel Ali Qaduri from Garmyan Police.
The day of Ashura is the 10th day of Muharram month according to the Islamic Calendar. It is believed that on this day, Hussein, grandson of Prophet Muhammed, was killed in a battle with the army of Yazid, one of the Muslim caliphates from Umayyed dynasty. Many Shiite Muslims around the world commemorate this day with whipping themselves, some with knives to take on the pain of Hussein.
Kerbela, an Iraqi province south of Baghdad is the center of the Ashura celebrations each year.
