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Kashmir Police: Won’t Allow 8th Muharram Procession

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SRINAGAR, Kashmir – Ahlul Bayt News Agency – Inspector General of Police SJM Gillani Wednesday said that the police will not allow the Alam Sharief procession of 8th Muharram on the traditional routes on Thursday.

“We won’t allow the Muharram procession taking the security situation into view,” IGP Gillani said.

Ittehadul Muslimeen patron Maulana Muhammad Abbas Ansari, has already announced the procession will be taken out despite government curbs on Thursday from city’s Guru Bazar area in the morning and the same will culminate at Dalgate in uptown following the traditional routes in the evening.

However the successive state government’s have thwarted Maulana’s attempts to lead the procession every year since 1990 when the ban was imposed.

Ittehadul Muslimeen even moved court in January 2008. Party filed a petition in the Jammu Kashmir High Court seeking quashing of the ban clamped by the former Governor Jagmohan but the state government did not respond.

In December 2009, JK high court once again directed the state Government to file the objections without eliciting any response.

Authorities clamp an undeclared curfew in the areas from where traditional procession used to pass meeting stiff resistance from the thousands of mourners who defy the ban and insist on taking out the procession. Every year these areas, including capitals city centre turns into a battle zone with police subjecting mourners to brute force. “There is nothing we can do now other than protest and take out processions in defiance as curbs are placed on our religious rituals here, said Maulana Masroor Ansari, Shia representative in the moderate Hurriyat Conference.

Only small mourning rallies and processions are allowed in select Shia dominated areas of the city.

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Lucknow Shiite clerics in demand abroad for Muharram programs

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Ahlul Bayt News Agency – Do not be surprised if you find the airport crowded with Shia clerics, because these clerics from Lucknow are now being invited from all parts of the world to address the Muharram majlis, a religious congregation during the period of mourning.

Well known Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Sadiq is already in London for the first 12 days of Moharram and will then tour other parts of Europe to hold the majlis.

Another Shia cleric, Maulana Mirza Mohammad Athar, will soon be flying to London, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles to address the majlis.

Maulana Habeeb Haider, who has been addressing the religious congregations in parts of Europe including Denmark, Spain, France, Portugal, Netherlands and England since 2007, explains, “The clerics from Lucknow are much in demand overseas because this city is the intellectual hot seat of the Shia sect in India.”

He said that the Muharram majlis must be addressed is a simple language that can be understood by the youth and the society in the western countries. The clerics should also be speaking on new topics that concern the youth of such countries and Islam in general, which clerics from Luck-now are well versed with.

Maulana Habeeb Haider said that in countries like the United States, the majlis is marked by a question and answer session from Muslim youth who are more cosmopolitan in this country compared to other nations.

“We get questions like the Islamic code of conduct in areas of work and travelling, on test tube babies and Islam’s stand on euthanasia. The clerics should be well informed to be able to answer such questions,” he said.

Topics such as human rights, terrorism, Islamic jurisprudence, critical analysis of ideas put forth and authenticity of historical references to be maintained.

Photos: Muharram mourning in Bauchi, Nigeria (Day 7)

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Photos by: Ysuf Tigirmas














Sayyed Nasrallah: Victory is Ours; We are People of Jihad, Resistance

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Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah appeared in person at the end of Ashura procession in Beirut’s Dahiyeh on Saturday vowing to win the battle against Israel, the US, Takfiris and Al Saud, reminding them that ‘we are the supporters of Imam Hussein, we are the people of Jihad and resistance.’

“We will never be humiliated; we are the people of Jihad and resistance. We won’t be moved by Israeli or Takfiri threats. We’ll work day and night for the dignity of all our people,” Sayyed Nasrallah said on Ashoura Day, paying condolences to all people on the martyrdom of Imam Hussein saying: We’ll keep on crying blood for Imam Hussein instead of tears.

His eminence reiterated support to the Palestinian cause, saying: “On behalf of the crowds we renew our support to the Palestinian people in their resistance and uprising, and we call upon all the free world to support the Palestinian people in their defending of the holy sites and legitimate rights.”

Sayyed Nasrallah saluted all martyrs’ families, wounded fighters and all supporters who never let the resistance down. He also saluted the steadfastness, loyalty, bravery.. of the resistance fighters who are sacrificing their selves for this path.  

The Secretary-General vowed the continuation of Jihad against the US-led war, adding that neither [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu nor his ancestors would prevent the resistance from getting weapons to counter any crap out of ‘Israel .‘

“We will continue our jihad in the face of the Takfiri project and we will defeat them as we defeated Israel,” Sayyed Nasrallah said.

Concerning the Iraqi issue, Sayyed Nasrallah called on Iraqis not to bet on the Americans or any other deceiver in this world, saying, “We look forward to the victory of the Iraqi people against ISIL. We urge them not to bet on the US or the West. You have the enough courage to win against them all in the name of Imam Hussein (AS).”

On the Saudi tyranny, Sayyed Nasrallah condemned the violations committed by Saudi Arabia against sanctities in Yemen, and the massacres committed by the Al Saud in front of all the world.

He also condemned Riyadh’s suppression of the resolute, patient people of Bahrain who are insisting on achieving their rights in freedom, sovereignty and dignity, no matter how much repression and terrorism they are getting. Sayyed Nasrallah called for an investigation into the horrible massacre of Mina and not to forget this great tragedy that happened because of the negligence of the Saudi regime.

Sayyed Nasrallah addressed local Lebanese issues, calling on the political parties to find solutions to the country’s crises and not to wait for regional developments. “All political forces should cooperate to find a solution to the lingering crises, away from obstinacy. We need to deal in a serious manner with the dialogue because we have no other alternative,” he said.

“You’ve waited for the finalization of Iran’s nuclear agreement thinking that Iran will abandon us in the end, but it has not. You waited for the defeat of the Syrian government but it didn’t and will not”.

“You are wasting time by trading blames and accusations over the obstruction of presidential elections. They accuse us of impeding the elections by boycotting it and we blame them for obstructing the election of a strong head of state. Let us put this dispute aside and engage in real dialogue,” His eminence said, adding: “We, in Lebanon, are the decision makers, we elect and choose our own electoral law, no one can impose anything on us.”    

Addressing instigators he said: “to America, you are slaves to them for money, oil and gas; however, we, the party of Wilayat al-Fakih (the Guardianship by the Jurist), are masters in our Supreme leader’s eyes.”

On Friday night, Sayyed Nasrallah also appeared personally at the Sayyed Shuhadaa complex in Beirut’s Dahiyeh and tackled several political issues and developments.

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Millions of Iranians Commemorate Ashura Nationwide

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Massive crowd of mourners took to the streets and mosques in Iran to pay tribute to Imam Hussein (AS) who devoted his life to Islam in a battle in Karbala in 680 AD.

Men, women and children, dressed in black, have been holding mourning ceremonies since ten days ago to mark the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), and his uprising for justice.

Shia Muslims hold Ashura mourning ceremonies in the city of Qom, Iran on October 24, 2015.

Each year, the mourning rituals start with the Islamic lunar month of Muharram and reach their climax on the tenth day of the month, known as Ashura.

The third Shiite Imam, along with 72 of his companions, was martyred in a battle against the second Umayyad caliph, Yazid ibn Muawiyah, in the Iraqi region of Karbala, after he refused to pledge allegiance to the ruling tyrant.

For Muslims, Ashura has become a symbol of eternal stance of truth against falsehood, and lies at the heart of all struggles against oppression and tyranny.

Iranian mourners usually gather at the main streets and mosques for commemorating the event.

Iranians traditionally cook food for charity (called Nazri) and distribute it among their neighbors, family and poor people. Free food is also offered to people who perform the mourning rites.

Many Iranians also travel to Iraq to mourn the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein near his holy shrine, located in the city of Karbala; Tasnim reported.

Mourning ceremonies were also hold in Pakistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Lebanon and Australia. Similar ceremonies will also be held in Europe, America and Africa later in the day.

In Sydney, more than 5,000 people took to the streets to observe Ashura, chanting slogans in honor of Imam Hussein and his family’s sacrifices.

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Photos: Ashura Mourning Ceremony in Qom, Iran

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Malaysia: 16 arrested Shiites at Ashura mourning ceremony released on bail / Photos

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Ahlul Bayt News Agency -ABNA- 16 of Malaysian Shiites, who were arrested two days ago at Imam Hussein (AS) mourning ceremony, were released on bail.

They also have to be present at the ‘Religious Affairs Organization of Selangor’ (JAIS) according to the dates specified for each of them.

Police also called on every women and children of the ceremony to be present at JAIS on next Monday for answering some questions.

It all comes while Shiites of Kuala Lumpur have received all necessary permits from the authorities for organizing such ceremonies.

Malaysian police two days ago and on the eve of Tasua raided Imam Hussein (AS)’s mourning ceremony at the Imam Reza (AS) Hussainiyah in Kuala Lumpur and interrogated Hojjatulislam Mohammed Kamel Haji Zahir bin Abdul Aziz, ABNA correspondent reported on October 22, 2015.

They took all detainees to the Religious Affairs Organization of Selangor in the region of Shahi Alam.

Five years ago also security forces of Selangor province raided Shia mourners on the eve of Ashura and arrested many of mourners.

That year Hojjatulislam Mohammed Kamel Haji Zuhairi and another Iranian scholar Hojjatulislam Mohsen Radmard were arrested and spent some time in prison.


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Bahrain people condemns excessive police force

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Ahlul Bayt News Agency – Bahrain’s opposition on Wednesday condemned what it called the police’s use of “excessive” force during clashes with Shiite villagers commemorating the religious festival of Ashura (Imam Hussain martyrdom).

Clashes erupted overnight Tuesday as security forces pulled down Ashura banners erected in what police said were “undesignated areas” of Shiite villages outside Manama, witnesses said.

They said security forces of the kingdom, which has a Shia majority, fired buckshots to disperse protesting villagers, causing casualties.

Bahrain’s top Shia opposition formation, Al-Wefaq, condemned the “excessive use of force” to remove the banners and said the intervention amounted to “suppression of religious rituals”.

Police chief Tareq al-Hassan claimed that some banners carried political statements with no connection to Ashura, one of the holiest commemorations of the Shia faith.

Bahrain, a tiny but strategic US ally, has seen frequent unrest since a Shia-led uprising erupted four years ago demanding a constitutional monarchy.

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Deadly blast hits Imama Hussain mourners in Pakistan, kills 10 Shias

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A suicide bombing at a Shia Muslim mosque has killed at least 10 people in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan.

Six children were among the dead and more than 12 people were wounded in the attack in the town of Bhaag, said the provincial home minister, Mir Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti,.

No claim of responsibility was made following the attack. Baluchistan, in eastern Pakistan, has been wracked by separatist violence and rising sectarianism for almost a decade.

Security has been beefed up across Pakistan before the two-day Shia festival of Ashura. Public gatherings and marches are planned in most Pakistani cities on Friday and Saturday to commemorate the death of Hussain, the grandson of the prophet Muhammad.

Mobile phone services will be suspended in cities in an attempt to foil remote-controlled bombings. Police have set up extra checkpoints and imposed restrictions on movement in some areas.

Fears of violence have been heightened this year after Taliban splinter groups pledged allegiance to the Syria- and Iraq-based Islamic State, which has repeatedly targeted Shias. Analysts say Pakistani groups hoping for patronage want to impress Islamic State

Shia Muslims make up about 20% of the Pakistani population. The rest are mostly Sunni Muslims.

In a separate development, the Pakistani military said on Thursday that it had carried out its first night-time drone strike, killing several militants.

“Our own drone Burraq fired missiles and hit sanctuaries of terrorists in South Waziristan near the Afghan border on Thursday,” said a security official.

Pakistan launched the Burraq in March, and the first strike by one of the drones was reported in early September.

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