NABATIYEH, Lebanon (AP) — Shiite Muslims on Friday marked Ashoura, one of the most important days on their calendar, with large gatherings in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and other parts of the Muslim world to remember the seventh-century killing of Hussein, the grandson of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.The annual commemoration is observed on the 10th day of the month of Muharram in the lunar-based Islamic calendar. Ashoura is the culmination of a 10-day mourning period and marks the day Hussein was killed alongside members of his family and companions as he fought against the army of Caliph Yazid, to whom Hussein had refused to pledge allegiance.Hussein’s killing cemented the schism between Sunni and Shiite Islam and remains a powerful symbol of resistance against oppression and injustice.Ashoura this year comes after a war between predominantly Shiite Iran and the United States and Israel, who launched strikes on the country on Feb. 28, killing senior officials including Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The 86-year-old Khamenei was not just Iran’s top political leader but also had a final say on all religious matters and was revered by millions of Shiites worldwide.
A funeral procession for Khamenei is scheduled to take place in early July.
