ASHURA IN KARBALA: PEACEFUL, CROWDED, SANGUINE

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 000063 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KISL SOCI IZ SUBJECT: ASHURA IN KARBALA: PEACEFUL, CROWDED, SANGUINE (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified; handle accordingly. Not for distribution on the Internet. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Ashura commemorations passed peacefully in Karbala amid a heavy security presence, elements of which will remain in place through Arba'ayniyah (February 15-16), which marks the end of the 40-day mourning period. A record number of pilgrims, estimated at two million, participated. The Gaza situation elicited little visible sympathy. In keeping with Ashura tradition, the streets were witness to bloody displays of emotion by visitors commemorating the slaying of Imam Husayn and several of his family in the Battle of Karbala. End summary. -------------- Peaceful, Crowded -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Karbala's fifth Ashura since Iraq's liberation passed without major incident. Most of the record number of pilgrims, estimated at two million, were Iraqis, but Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) estimate that 60,000 to 70,000 hailed from abroad, including sizeable delegations from India, Pakistan, and Iran. Mindful of the possibility of heightened emotions spilling over into violence, regional ISF commander MG Othman al-Ghanimi deployed 28,000 soldiers and police around the province. They were assigned to staff checkpoints, search pilgrims, spot potential trouble from watchtowers, and man snipers' nests on rooftops. Othman has stated publicly that some strictures, such as vehicle searches, will remain in place through Arba'ayniyah (February 15-16),which marks the end of the 40-day mourning period. -------------- Gaza Not an Ashura Issue -------------- ¶3. (SBU) A local witness to the traditional Aza Tuwarij (the procession of marchers from Hindiyah in eastern Karbala province to the downtown shrines of Imam Husayn and Imam Abbas) commented that pilgrims this year appeared more emotional than he recalled from previous Ashura celebrations. Asked whether the Gaza situation was part of the reason, he replied no. Iraqi Shi'as, he explained, despise the Palestinians for having supported Saddam Hussein. Moreover, he continued, most Palestinians are Sunnis who -- at least until recent years -- were wont to view the anniversary of Imam Husayn's death as a cause for celebration. -------------- Blood in the Streets -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Ashura traditionally is a time of high drama in Karbala. Mosques throughout the province ring with all-night recitations and enact passion plays depicting the slayings of Imam Husayn (Mohammad's grandson through his daughter Fatima and son-in-law Imam Ali),Husayn's half-brother Imam Abbas, and other descendants of the Prophet in the Battle of Karbala, the signal event marking the birth of Shi'a Islam (in 680 C.E.). In remorse over their forebears' failure to come to Imam Husayn's aid, some Iraqi Shi'as don burial shrouds and lacerate their flesh with barbed whips and chains or cut their scalps with a special sword known as a qama. The blood shed quickly turns the white shrouds -- and the streets around the twin shrines -- red. Acccording to the local witness, Indian and Pakistani Shia's are the most sanguine, slicing themselves all over with short knives and razors. The witness said that the condemnation of such bloodletting issued by Shaykh Abd al-Mahdi al-Karbala'i on the eve of Ashura appeared to have little deterrent effect. Some fanatics even cut their children while others prodded their progeny to cut themselves with miniature qamas. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶5. (SBU) It is not often that one is able to describe a bloody event as successful, let alone peaceful, but this Qbloody event as successful, let alone peaceful, but this year's Ashura commemmorations were both. As they did during Shabaniyah last August, Karbalans demonstrated that they can manage large, emotion-fraught public events. The ISF, meanwhile, showed again their ability to work cooperatively with the local authorities to keep the peace. End comment. CROCKER