Archive for month: October, 2015
Bomb attack on Shiites in Baghdad kills 7 including Iranian pilgrims
Ahlul Bayt News Agency -ABNA- An Iraqi police official says a man wearing a suicide belt attacked a tent serving refreshments to pilgrims in Baghdad observing an annual Shiite ritual, killing at least seven people including Iranian pilgrims.
The bomb exploded near a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims and led to the killing of 3 and injuring of 5 Iranian pilgrims, ABNA24 reported.
The Islamic State group has already claimed a number of attacks on pilgrims and other Shiite gatherings since the start of the holy period of Muharrem, commemorating the death of the Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammed and an iconic Shiite martyr.
Security during Ashura has been tight since suspected al Qaeda suicide bombers and mortar fire killed 171 people during the rituals in Kerbala and Baghdad in 2004, though attacks have continued.
At least 19 people were wounded in the attack. A hospital official corroborated the casualties.
The officials spoke anonymously as they were not authorized to brief the media.
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Philippines sympathizes with Iran over Hajj disaster
In his message, Belmonte also extended condolence to the Iranian nation and government on the Mina event that claimed lives of 464 Iranian pilgrims.
Already, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario extended a message of condolences to his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on October 9 on the sad incident.
The Hajj disaster occurred on September 24 after two large masses of pilgrims converged at a crossroads in Mina during the symbolic ceremony of the Stoning of Satan in Jamarat.
Saudi Arabia claims nearly 770 people were killed in the fatal incident, but according to officials at Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization about 4,700 people, including 464 Iranian pilgrims, lost their lives in the tragic event.
However, foreign officials put the death toll at 1,674.
Saudi Arabia has come under harsh criticism over its role in and handling of the tragic incident.
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Photos: Ashura day procession in Nasarawa, Nigeria
Photos by: Salihu Uthman
Photos: Ashura procession observed in Zaria, Nigeria
Mourning gathering at Husainiyyah baqiiyatullah Zaria on Saturday the 24/10/15 led by Sheikh Zakzaky. He explained that the issue of Imam Husain (A) is the making of God, which is why it will continue to flourish upto the time of Farj since the time the Imam made the call over 1400 years ago. Sheikh Zakzaky cleared misconceptions and fabrications of Umayyads regarding the day of Ashura.
Photos: Muslims, Christians participate in Ashura procession in Kaduna, Nigeria
Ahlul Bayt News Agency – Muslims and some section of the Christian community have on Saturday commemorated the Day of Ashura by way of a procession in the city centre.
The tenth day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar is set aside by the Muslim world to observe the day of Ashura and mourn the brutal killing of Imam Hussain, grandson of the Holy Prophet of Islam, and some of the Prophet’s family members by despotic Yazid son of Mu’awiyyah in the plain of Karbala, Iraq, 61 years A.H.
There had been daily mourning sessions, which culminated in a large procession on Saturday that drew about hundreds of thousands of participants.
The procession which took off in the morning from Maiduguri Road Juma’at mosque amidst tight security, passed through Ahmadu Bello Way and Kano, and terminated at Kwanar Chanchangi in Tudunwada.
Among the participants were a delegation from the Christian community led by Pastor Yohanna Y. Buru. They include: Reverend David Abaya, Pastor JoelZego, Pastor Maxwell Sanda, Mr. Adun A. Adua and Pastor Muhammad Abdullahi.
In an interview, Pastor Yohanna Buru said, it was a religious obligationfor the Christian community to commemorate with Muslims over the monumental tragedy that befell the Household of the Prophet of Islam.
“It is expedient and necessary for us to be with our Muslimsimes of joy colleagues in time of sorrow, just as commemorate with them in times of joy. Moreover, the people killed were those Luminaries in Islam the Prophet Muhammad ordered Muslim faithful to strictly adhere to. We therefore extend our sincere condolence to the entire Muslim Ummah on this day.”
During the terminal speech, Ameer of the Kaduna zone of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Shaikh Muhammad MukhtarSahabi said, Ashura is not exclusively observed by the Shi’a but the entire Muslims, because Imam is the grandson of the Prophet of Islam.
He pointed out that, love for the Household of the holy Prophet (Ahlul Bayt), as prescribed by Allah is a religious obligation, while disdain for their enemies and their killers is also a religious duty. “You cannot love Imam Husain and at the same time love those who killed him. It is impossible! You should either love Husain and dislike his enemies, or love killers of Husain and dislike Husain. There is no two-way about this issue.”
He therefore called on the Muslim Ummah to show practical love for the Infallible Progeny of the holy Prophet, as amplified and exemplified by Shaikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, through whose call people are now being more aware.
“In the path of the Ahlul Bayt (AS) genuine religion lies, on their path injustice and tyranny is wiped out”, he added.
Similar procession were also held in major cities across Nigeria.
