KERBALA – Millions of mourners gathered at shrines and mosques in Kerbalaand other parts of Iraq on Thursday to mark the climax of the annual ritualof Ashura with expressions of suffering.
Huge crowds came from all over the world to commemorate the slaying ofHazrat Imam Hussain (RA), grandson of the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).
Most Sunni Muslims also mourn Hussain’s (RA) death, but less fervently, andAshura is a reminder of Sunni-Shi’ite rifts dating from disputes over theProphet Muhammad’s (PBUH) succession.
In the past, suicide bombers staged attacks on the mass gathering hoping totrigger sectarian tensions.