IRAQ: THOUSANDS OF IRAQI SHI'ITES ARE WALKING TOWARDS THE HOLY CITY OF NAJAF AND KERBALA FOR A MAJOR RELIGIOUS PILGRIMAGE

Record ID: 208471

  • Title: IRAQ: THOUSANDS OF IRAQI SHI'ITES ARE WALKING TOWARDS THE HOLY CITY OF NAJAF AND KERBALA FOR A MAJOR RELIGIOUS PILGRIMAGE
  • Date: 19th April 2003
  • Summary: (EU) NEAR NAJAF, IRAQ (APRIL 19, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV HUNDREDS OF IRAQI SHI'ITES WALKING, OR DRIVING CARS AND TRUCKS TOWARDS THE HOLY CITIES OF NAJAF AND KERBALA IN CENTRAL IRAQ FOR A MAJOR RELIGIOUS PILGRIMAGE 0.07 2. SLV MAN IN WHEELCHAIR RACING AHEAD AND BEATING HIS CHEST 0.12 3. TRACKING SHOT OF LONG LINE OF PILGRIMS ON ROAD CARRYING GREEN AND RED FLAGS 0.23 4. SLV GROUP OF PILGRIMS WAVING LARGE MULTI-COLOURED FLAGS 0.30 5. LV MAN WALKING WITH TEENAGE GIRLS WEARING BLACK CHADOR 0.36 6. SV MAN SITTING ON ANOTHER PILGRIM'S SHOULDERS, CROWD CHANTING AND BEATING THEIR CHESTS 0.42 7. VIEW FROM BACK OF CROWD WALKING TOWARDS NAJAF, CARRYING FLAGS 0.48 8. VIEW FROM SIDE OF ROAD OF CROWD WALKING 0.54 9. SLV GROUP OF MEN CARRYING A PURPLE FLAG 0.59 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 4th May 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEAR NAJAF, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Reuters ID: LVA9REBJ52ZY0AGAZMLGK2HXPQ0U
  • Story Text: Thousands of Iraqi Shi'ites are walking towards the
    holy cities of Najaf and Kerbala for a major religious
    pilgrimage.



    Thousands of Iraqi Shia Muslims beat their chests with
    their hands and waved black and green flags on Saturday (April
    19) in a passionate celebration of a religious pilgrimage
    banned for a quarter century under Saddam Hussein.

    Large crowds of pilgrims are on the move towards the holy
    city of Najaf in central Iraq. They will then continue their
    pilgrimage to Kerbala to mark one of the holiest events in the
    Shi'ite calendar, on April 23.

    Men singing, dancing and beating their chests streamed
    along roads in central Iraq.

    Pilgrims have set off days in advance to make sure they
    reach the two holy cities and visit their domed mosques,
    coated with intricate mosaics and tiles.

    The U.S.-led war on Iraq which ended Saddam's rule opened
    the way for the pilgrimage.

    The roots of Shi'ism date back to the deaths at the hands
    of Sunni Muslims in 661 of Imam Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet
    Mohammad and first leader of the Shi'ites, and that of his
    son, Imam Hussein, 19 years later.

    Imam Hussein was killed in a battle in Kerbala, 75 km (50
    miles) south of Baghdad, and the climax of the pilgrimage -
    Arbaiin - marks the 40th day after his death.

    Hussein is a symbol of martyrdom for pious Shi'ites and
    his cause has been exploited in the past for political
    purposes in Iraq, which was why Saddam repressed the
    pilgrimage.

    Shi'ites in Iraq, the majority of the population, were
    oppressed by the secular Baath party government of Saddam
    Hussein, a Sunni Muslim from north of Baghdad.

    But this year, the Shi'ites are celebrating the occasion
    with great fervour.

    The pilgrims are streaming on roads in lines stretching as
    far as the eye can see, singing and dancing, beating their
    chests. Many wave giant multicoloured flags. The dominant
    colours are the black flag of mourning and the green flag to
    commemorate the colour of Hussein's headdress.

    The U.S. military has said it will take "appropriate"
    security measures next week when hundreds of thousands of
    Shi'ites converge on Kerbala.



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