- Title: Hundreds of Lebanon's Shi'ite Muslims mark Ashura
- Date: 19th August 2021
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SHI'ITE MUSLIM WHO ORGANIZES RALLIES ON ASHURA, KHODR, SAYING: "(We are here) on Ashura, in the city of Nabatiyeh, the city of (Imam) Hussein, the city of loyalty. For 120 years, this city has been commemorating the ritual. It is our religion and that of our ancestors. We have inherited it. Ashura has become our belief. It is religion, it is ethics, it is decency, it is our homeland, it is our identity."
- Embargoed: 2nd September 2021 12:47
- Keywords: Ashura Lebanon Nabatiyeh Religion Shi'ite
- Location: NABATIYEH, LEBANON
- City: NABATIYEH, LEBANON
- Country: Lebanon
- Topics: Middle East,Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA003EQY55C7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES
Lebanon's Shi'ite Muslim community marked the beginning of Ashura on Thursday (August 19), holding rallies and gashing their heads with knives in the city of Nabatiyeh to honour Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.
Ashura falls on the 10th day of the lunar calendar month of Muharram, this year on August 19, and commemorates the martyrdom in 680 AD of Imam Hussein Ibn Ali near Kerbala in what is now Iraq.
Dressed in white robes and covered in blood, thousands performed their rituals and tried to follow health measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Khodr, a Shi'ite Lebanese who organizes rallies on Ashura, said that coronavirus restrictions are tighter than those of last year, with many worshippers arriving to receive their gashing then leaving immediately to avoid overcrowding.
"We are following all health precautions. (The worshipper) gets his gashing and leaves. Everyone is wearing a mask. We have medical equipment for all wounds," said Khodr, adding that ensuring everyone's safety is part of the ritual's principles.
(Production: Hassan Hankir, Imad Creidi, Nadeen Ebrahim) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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