“May God have revenge on every politician!” The anguished cry echoes across the revered Imam Hussein’s shrine in Iraq’s Karbala, as Shiite pilgrims mourn his killing centuries ago and demand justice today.
The thousands of black-clad pilgrims are marking Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar, during which they commemorate the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson and vow to fight oppression.
Hussein was killed at the Battle of Karbala in 680AD by the forces of the Caliph Yazid.
The seminal event in Islam’s confessional divide, it is seen by Shiites around the world as one of history’s great unavenged injustices.
For some in Karbala, 80 kilometres south-west of Baghdad, the transgressions continue.
Their faces twisted in sorrow, two dozen men and boys solemnly carry portraits of some of nearly 600 Iraqi protesters, activists and reporters killed since mass anti-government rallies erupted last October.
The Iraqi tricolour and the traditional black flags of Muharram, emblazoned with “Oh Hussein,” flutter side by side in a rare late summer breeze.
Mourners stand in a cluster, facing the bright neon lights of the main shrine, and chant rhyming mourning chants customary during this month – with a twist.
“We saw how they assassinate honourable people!” they call out, pumping their arms rhythmically towards the shrine.
Among the portraits is a recent victim: Reham Al Yacoub, 29, an activist shot dead in the oil-rich southern city of Basra only last week.
Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi paid condolences to Al Yacoub’s family, vowing to hold her killers accountable.
But similar pledges regarding other slain protesters have so far gone unfulfilled.
Since demonstrations erupted in Baghdad and across southern Iraq on October 1 last year, protesters have regularly compared themselves to Hussein’s companions, often shouting the slogan: “Hussein is revolution!”
Some have even drawn parallels between security forces burning protest tents and Yazid’s forces setting alight the desert camp of the revered imam’s followers.
But the tradition of mixing pilgrimage with protests far predates the 2019 movement.
Collectives in Karbala have organised marches against perceived injustices for decades, even staging small protests under feared Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein.
Despite taking place at the shrine, the marches are a rare melting pot, attracting communist-leaning youth alongside pious Iraqis.
The Abbasiyah Convoy is the oldest and most prominent such marching collective, active since the 1940s and native to the holy city.
“We are known as a revolutionary convoy, a revolution like Imam Hussein’s. We want to convey the suffering of the Iraqi street to the whole world,” says Hatem Nawras, an elderly attendee.
For Alaa Al Sarraf, who has been taking part in the Muharram chants for nearly two decades, “Hussein represents an awakening against injustice”.
“We have a history of writing chants based on what the street wants: we opposed the US invasion and sectarianism after 2003, and today we support better services, an end to corruption and rights for all,” he said.
Thousands of pilgrims have descended on Karbala since Muharram began on August 21, ignoring calls by officials and even clerics to stay at home as the coronavirus spreads.
Iraq has logged more than 215,000 cases and more than 6,600 deaths, with the World Health Organisation warning last week of an “exponential rise” that could create a major health crisis.
Coronavirus-linked restrictions meant Karbala has attracted fewer visitors in 2020 than in previous years, when millions of Shiites converged on the holy site from Afghanistan and neighbouring Iran.
But thousands still attended this year, some carrying banners referencing Tehran, which was heavily criticised during the protest movement for backing an Iraqi political class seen as corrupt and inept.
“How many government officials are followers of our ‘neighbour’?” one poster read.
“They became its servants, and are happy with all this shame.”
The “Mourning Procession of the October Martyrs,” a new protest-pilgrim group, vows to keep up calls for justice.
“The rule of all tyrants will end, however long it takes,” says pilgrim Ihab Al Wazni.
He has a bitter warning for Iraqi politicians: “Your day will come too, if you don’t implement the demands of the Iraqi people.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Scores
Wales 74-24 Tonga
England 35-15 Japan
Italy 7-26 Australia
The view from The National
The five pillars of Islam
More from Aya Iskandarani
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 1 (Cantwell 75') Manchester United 2 (Aghalo 51' 118') After extra time.
Man of the match Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Arabian Gulf League fixtures:
Friday:
- Emirates v Hatta, 5.15pm
- Al Wahda v Al Dhafra, 5.25pm
- Al Ain v Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, 8.15pm
Saturday:
- Dibba v Ajman, 5.15pm
- Sharjah v Al Wasl, 5.20pm
- Al Jazira v Al Nasr, 8.15pm
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
RESULTS
ATP China Open
G Dimitrov (BUL x3) bt R Bautista Agut (ESP x5)
7-6, 4-6, 6-2
R Nadal (ESP x1) bt J Isner (USA x6)
6-4, 7-6
WTA China Open
S Halep (ROU x2) bt D Kasatkina (RUS)
6-2, 6-1
J Ostapenko (LAT x9) bt S Cirstea (ROU)
6-4, 6-4
ATP Japan Open
D Schwartzman (ARG x8) bt S Johnson (USA)
6-0, 7-5
D Goffin (BEL x4) bt R Gasquet (FRA)
7-5, 6-2
M Cilic (CRO x1) bt R Harrison (USA)
6-2, 6-0
SHAITTAN
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Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
