Arba'in pilgrimage

{{Infobox recurring event

| name = Arba'in pilgrimage

| native_name =

| native_name_lang =

| image = Kerbela Hussein Moschee.jpg

| image_size = 250px

| alt =

| caption = Arba'in pilgrims near the shrine of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the third Shia imam

| status = Active

| genre = Religious gathering

| date = Arba'in (twentieth of Safar)

| frequency = Annually

| location = Karbala, Iraq

| participants = Shia Muslims

| attendance =

| capacity =

}}

The Arba'in pilgrimage is a pilgrimage to the shrine of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the third Shia imam. It is the world's second largest public gathering and occurs annually. Every year, on the twentieth of Safar, also known as Arba'in, millions of pilgrims flock to Karbala, Iraq, often arriving there on foot from the nearby city of Najaf. Arba'in marks forty days after the tenth of Muharram, known as Ashura. On this day in 61 AH (680 CE), Husayn was killed, alongside most of his relatives and his small retinue, in the Battle of Karbala against the army of the Umayyad caliph Yazid ibn Mu'awiya ({{Reign|680|683}}). The battle followed Husayn's refusal to pledge his allegiance to Yazid, who is often portrayed by Muslim historians as impious and immoral. In Shia Islam, Karbala symbolizes the eternal struggle between good and evil, the pinnacle of self-sacrifice, and the ultimate sabotage of Muhammad's prophetic mission.

It is the second largest human gathering after the Hindu's Kumbh Mela of India. Pilgrims take the 80 kilometer route from Najaf to Karbala on foot over several days.[https://en.mehrnews.com/news/219886/Arbaeen-powerful-voice-of-resistance-solidarity-in-world Arbaeen powerful voice of resistance, solidarity in world], Mehr.News, 25 August 2024.

Forty is a sacred number in Islam, and the Arba'in pilgrimage is an early Shia tradition popularized by the Shia imams. In recent times, the Arba'in pilgrimage was banned by the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, but rapidly grew after his deposal in 2003 from two million participants that year to around twenty million in 2014. Nevertheless, the voluntary Arba'in pilgrimage remains largely unknown in the West, even though it is far larger than Hajj, the obligatory Muslim pilgrimage. As with Ashura, Arba'in can be an occasion for violence against Shia Muslims. During the pilgrimage, free meals and accommodation are provided by volunteers.

Significance of Arba'in in Shia Islam

{{See also|Battle of Karbala|Mourning of Muharram|Ashura|Muharram}}

In the Islamic calendar, twentieth of Safar is known as Arba'in,{{Sfn|Chelkowski|1988}}{{Sfn|Momen|1985|p=239}} which marks forty days after Ashura, tenth of Muharram.{{Sfn|Ayoub|1986}} In turn, Ashura is the death anniversary of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the third Shia imam.{{Sfn|Aghaie|2013}} Husayn was killed on 10 Muharram 61 AH (10 October 680 CE), alongside most of his male relatives and his small retinue, in the Battle of Karbala against the army of the Umayyad caliph Yazid ibn Mu'awiya ({{Reign|680|683}}), having been surrounded for some days and deprived of the drinking water of the nearby Euphrates river. After the battle, women and children in Husayn's camp were taken prisoner and marched to the Umayyad capital Damascus in Syria. The battle followed failed negotiations and Husayn's refusal to pledge his allegiance to Yazid, who is often portrayed by Muslim historians as impious and immoral.{{Sfn|Momen|1985|p=28}}{{Sfn|Pinault|2000|p=70}}{{Sfn|Aghaie|2007|p=117}} The fight took place in the desert land of Karbala, en route to the nearby Kufa, whose residents had earlier invited Husayn to lead them against Yazid.{{Sfn|Madelung|2004}}

In Shia Islam, Karbala symbolizes the eternal struggle between good and evil,{{Sfn|Aghaie|2004|p=9}}{{Sfn|Aghaie|2007|pp=|p=112}} the pinnacle of self-sacrifice,{{Sfn|Chelkowski|1985|p=19}} and the ultimate sabotage of Muhammad's prophetic mission.{{Sfn|Crow|2016}} Historically, the event served to crystallize the Shia community into a distinct sect and remains an integral part of their religious identity to date.{{Sfn|Kennedy|2016|p=77}}{{Sfn|Hyder|2006|p=9}} Ashura to Arba'in is thus a period of mourning for Shia Muslims,{{Sfn|Pinault|1992|p=188}} particularly the first ten days of Muharram and Arba'in.{{Sfn|Osman|2014|p=133}}{{Sfn|Ayoub|1986}}{{Sfn|Pakatchi|2021}} On the one hand, Shia mourners hope to share in the pain of Husayn to benefit from his intercession on the Day of Judgement.{{Sfn|Blank|2001|p=84}}{{Sfn|Munson|1988|p=24}} On the other, the Shia minority views mourning for Husayn as an act of protest against oppression, and as such a struggle for God ({{Transliteration|ar|jihad}}).{{Sfn|Ayoub|1978|p=|pp=142{{ndash}}143}}{{Sfn|Nakash|1993|p=165}}

Origins

Forty is a sacred number in Islam,{{Sfn|Ayoub|1986}} and commemorating the dead forty days after their death is a long-standing Islamic tradition,{{Sfn|Haj Manouchehri|2008}}{{Sfn|Calmard|1987}}{{Sfn|Ayoub|1986}} dating back to the early Islamic period.{{Sfn|Haj Manouchehri|2008}} Shia tradition attaches a similar significance to Arba'in, the fortieth of Husayn.{{Sfn|Haj Manouchehri|2008}} Probably by combining the accounts available to him,{{Sfn|Haj Manouchehri|2008}} the Shia scholar Ibn Tawus ({{Died in|1266}}) reports that Husayn's relatives returned via Karbala to their hometown of Medina when they were freed from captivity in Damascus. Upon arrival in Karbala on Arba'in,{{Sfn|Ayoub|1978|p=152}}{{Sfn|Calmard|2004}} they met Jabir ibn Abd Allah ({{Died in|697}}), a companion of Muhammad,{{Sfn|Haj Manouchehri|2008}} who had learned about the death of Husayn through a divine sign.{{Sfn|Ayoub|1986}} This origin story was repeated by many authors after Ibn Tawus, even though several scholars before Ibn Tawus report only the Arba'in pilgrimage of Jabir.{{Sfn|Haj Manouchehri|2008}} The veracity of Ibn Tawus' account has therefore been questioned by some, including the Shia scholar Husain Noori Tabarsi ({{Died in|1902}}) and the Islamicist Mahmoud M. Ayoub ({{Died in|2021}}).{{Sfn|Haj Manouchehri|2008}}{{Sfn|Ayoub|1986}} Ayoub adds that Arba'in is not mentioned in {{Transliteration|ar|Kamil al-ziyarat}}, an early and authoritative hadith collection by the Shia traditionist Ibn Qulawayh ({{Died in|{{circa|978}}}}).{{Sfn|Ayoub|1986}} Whatever the case, such narratives may have helped establish Arba'in in Shia culture.{{Sfn|Haj Manouchehri|2008}}

Risking the Umayyads' wrath, the commemoration of Karbala was initially small and private.{{Sfn|Hussain|2005|p=81}}{{Sfn|Hyder|2006|p=20}} In particular, pilgrimage to Karbala remained limited and precarious during the Umayyad period.{{Sfn|Nakash|1993|p=167}} Soon after the Umayyads fell, however, Shia imams worked to institutionalize the Ashura and Arba'in pilgrimages to the tomb of Husayn, as reflected in some of the traditions ascribed to the imams. For instance, the Shia imam Hasan al-Askari ({{Died in|{{circa|874}}}}) is reported to have listed the Arba'in pilgrimage among the five signs of a true believer.{{Sfn|Haj Manouchehri|2008}}

Among the largest annual gatherings

File:Arbaeen 2015-2.JPG

File:Arbaeen 2015-7.JPG men participating in the Arba'in pilgrimage between Najaf and Karbala on foot.]]

Arba'in is a day of pilgrimage to the shrine of Husayn in Karbala, Iraq. Pilgrims arrive there in large numbers, often on foot. The most popular route is Najaf to Karbala, as many pilgrims first travel to Najaf and then walk from there to Karbala, some eighty kilometers away, which takes about three days on foot. Along the way, volunteers provide the pilgrims with free meals and services.{{Sfn|Szanto|2018|p=14}} In Karbala alone, seven thousand of such hospitality units ({{Transliteration|ar|mawakib}}, {{Singular}} {{Transliteration|ar|mawkib}}) were set up in 2014.{{cite news |last1=Staff writers |date=14 December 2014 |title=Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq: 17.5 million defy threat |publisher=SBS |url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/12/14/arbaeen-pilgrimage-iraq-175-million-defy-threat |url-status=live |access-date=6 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007070543/http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/12/14/arbaeen-pilgrimage-iraq-175-million-defy-threat |archive-date=7 October 2015}} Indeed, this generosity and hospitality are said to characterize the Arba'in pilgrimage. When the pilgrims finally reach the shrine of Husayn in Karbala, they recite the Ziyarat of Arba'een, a supplication for this occasion.{{Sfn|Szanto|2018|p=14}}

As with other Shia rituals of Karbala,{{Sfn|Gordon Melton|2010|pp=211{{ndash}}212}} the Arba'in pilgrimage was banned by the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein ({{Reign|1979|2003}}),{{Sfn|Nasr|2007|pp=18{{ndash}}19}} who favored the Sunni community in Iraq,{{Sfn|Gordon Melton|2010|pp=211{{ndash}}212}} and viewed large Shia rituals as a political threat.{{Sfn|Nasr|2007|pp=18{{ndash}}19}} The pilgrimage was revived immediately after the deposal of Saddam in 2003,{{Sfn|Nasr|2007|pp=18{{ndash}}19}} with the total attendance numbers for this multi-day event growing from two million participants in that year to nine million in 2008,{{Sfn|Nasr|2007|pp=18{{ndash}}19}}{{cite web |title=mnf-iraq.com |url=http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17397&Itemid=128 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905185304/http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17397&Itemid=128 |archive-date=5 September 2009 |access-date=11 January 2009}} and around twenty million in 2014,{{cite news |last1=Piggott |first1=Mark |title=20 Million Shia Muslims Brave Isis by Making Pilgrimage to Karbala for Arbaeen |agency=IBtimes |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/20-million-shia-muslims-brave-isis-by-making-pilgrimage-karbala-arbaeen-1476618 |url-status=live |access-date=6 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924032349/http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/20-million-shia-muslims-brave-isis-by-making-pilgrimage-karbala-arbaeen-1476618 |archive-date=24 September 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Mamouri |first1=Ali |title=Iraqi Shiite pilgrimage takes political turn |agency=Al-Monitor |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/12/arbaeen-iraq-and-political-connections.html |url-status=live |access-date=8 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117023543/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/12/arbaeen-iraq-and-political-connections.html |archive-date=17 November 2015}} making that year's pilgrimage the second largest gathering in history.{{cite news |last1=Philipson |first1=Alice |date=19 January 2015 |title=The ten largest gatherings in human history |website=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11354116/The-ten-largest-gatherings-in-human-history.html |url-status=live |access-date=3 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006133406/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11354116/The-ten-largest-gatherings-in-human-history.html |archive-date=6 October 2015}} The figure reached twenty-two million in 2015, according to Iraq's state-run media.{{cite news |last1=Sim |first1=David |title=Arbaeen: World's largest annual pilgrimage as millions of Shia Muslims gather in Karbala |work=IB Times |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/arbaeen-worlds-largest-annual-pilgrimage-millions-shia-muslims-gather-karbala-1531726 |url-status=live |access-date=8 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151207115151/http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/arbaeen-worlds-largest-annual-pilgrimage-millions-shia-muslims-gather-karbala-1531726 |archive-date=7 December 2015}} In 2016, al-Khoei Foundation estimated around twenty-two million pilgrims.{{cite news |last1=Cusack |first1=Robert |title=Iraq prepares for biggest Shia-Muslim Arbaeen gathering in history |language=en |work=alaraby |url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2016/11/16/iraq-prepares-for-biggest-shia-muslim-arbaeen-gathering-in-history |access-date=24 November 2016}} Even though the Hindu festival Kumbh Mela draws a larger crowd, it is held once every three years, which makes the Arba'in pilgrimage "the world's largest annual gathering in one place."

= Comparison to Hajj =

Unlike the voluntary Arba'in pilgrimage, performing Hajj once is obligatory for every Muslim who can afford it and is physically capable. Nevertheless, tight regulations on Hajj by Saudi authorities have driven up its costs, making pilgrimage to Shia shrines an affordable alternative for Shia Muslims. In recent years, Karbala has consistently received ten to twenty million pilgrims, compared to fewer than three million Hajj pilgrims in 2018.{{Cite news |last=agencies |first=The New Arab & |title=Millions of Shia pilgrims trek to Iraq's Karbala for Arbaeen |language=en |work=alaraby |url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2018/10/29/millions-of-pilgrims-trek-to-iraqs-karbala-for-arbaeen |access-date=30 October 2018}}

= Interfaith participation =

As Hussein is regarded as a universal, borderless, and meta-religious symbol,{{cite web |title=World's Biggest Pilgrimage Now Underway, And Why You've Never Heard of it |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/sayed-mahdi-almodarresi/arbaeen-pilgrimage_b_6203756.html |website=Huffington Post |access-date=August 29, 2024 |date=January 24, 2015}}{{cite web |last1=Piggott |first1=Mark |title=20 Million Shia Muslims Brave Isis by Making Pilgrimage to Karbala for Arbaeen |url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/20-million-shia-muslims-brave-isis-by-making-pilgrimage-karbala-arbaeen-1476618 |website=International Business Times UK |access-date=August 29, 2024 |date=November 25, 2014}} the Arba'een pilgrimage, while rooted in Shia Islam, has emerged as a symbol of interfaith engagement. It increasingly attracts participants from various religious backgrounds, including Sunnis, Christians, Jews,{{cite web |title=Iraq's Massive, Peaceful Annual Arba'een Pilgrimage Is Beginning Now |url=https://www.fairobserver.com/world-news/iraqs-massive-peaceful-annual-arbaeen-pilgrimage-is-beginning-now/# |website=Fair Observer |access-date=August 29, 2024 |date=August 22, 2023}} and non-Abrahamic faiths such as Hindus, Yazidis, and Zoroastrians, who come to commemorate and mourn the death of Husayn.{{cite journal |last1=Rahimi |first1=Mahboobeh |title=Reframing Arbaeen Pilgrimage in Western Media through a Cultural Translation: A Framing Analysis |journal=Society and Culture in the Muslim World |url=https://scmw.atu.ac.ir/article_10140_bf84029e9ac44368f85600d34df9d59f.pdf |access-date=August 29, 2024 |pages=79–80 |doi=10.22054/SCMW.2019.10140 |date=April 20, 2019|volume=1 |issue=1 }}{{cite web |title=Arbaeen: a pilgrimage of unity, humanism, and devotion |url=https://www.milligazette.com/news/12-special-reports/15087-arbaeen-a-pilgrimage-of-unity-humanism-and-devotion/ |website=The Mili Gazette |access-date=August 29, 2024 |date=November 26, 2016}} Each year, millions of participants, including Sunnis and people of other faiths, join the pilgrimage to Karbala, both to attend and to serve the devotees.{{cite journal |last1=Rahimi |first1=Mahboobeh |title=Reframing Arbaeen Pilgrimage in Western Media through a Cultural Translation: A Framing Analysis |journal=Society and Culture in the Muslim World |url=https://scmw.atu.ac.ir/article_10140_bf84029e9ac44368f85600d34df9d59f.pdf |access-date=August 29, 2024 |pages=79–80 |doi=10.22054/SCMW.2019.10140 |date=April 20, 2019|volume=1 |issue=1 }}{{cite web |last1=Shahriyar |first1=Syed |title=Photos: Arbaeen, one of the world's largest annual pilgrimages in Iraq |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/9/7/photos-arbaeen-worlds-largest-annual-pilgrimage-in-iraq |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=August 29, 2024 |date=September 7, 2023}}{{cite web |title=Arbaeen, one of the world's largest annual pilgrimages in Iraq |url=https://eurasiamagazine.com/arbaeen-one-of-the-worlds-largest-annual-pilgrimages-in-iraq |website=Eurasia Magazine |access-date=August 29, 2024 |date=September 9, 2023}}

= Free services =

During the pilgrimage "copious supplies of food, small clinics and even dentists are available for pilgrims and they all work for free. The care of pilgrims is regarded as a religious duty."{{Cite news |date=9 November 2017 |title=Free at last from ISIS, millions of Muslims stage the greatest religious march in the world |language=en-GB |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/arbaeen-pilgrimage-kerbala-shia-isis-defeat-muslims-thousands-killed-middle-east-iraq-najaf-a8046621.html |access-date=10 November 2017}} Along the roads to Karbala, {{Transliteration|ar|mawakib}} provide "accommodation, food and beverage and medical services," and practically anything else the pilgrims need for free.{{cite web |last1=al-Modarresi |first1=Sayed Mahdi |date=24 November 2014 |title=World's Biggest Pilgrimage Now Underway, And Why You've Never Heard of it! |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/sayed-mahdi-almodarresi/arbaeen-pilgrimage_b_6203756.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151013084240/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/sayed-mahdi-almodarresi/arbaeen-pilgrimage_b_6203756.html |archive-date=13 October 2015 |access-date=8 October 2015 |website=The Huffington Post}}

Security aspects

As with Ashura,{{Sfn|Gordon Melton|2010}} Arba'in can be an occasion for Sunni violence against Shia Muslims.{{cite web |author=uberVU – social comments |date=5 February 2010 |title=Friday: 46 Iraqis, 1 Syrian Killed; 169 Iraqis Wounded - Antiwar.com |url=http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2010/02/05/friday-46-iraqis-1-syrian-killed-168-iraqis-wounded/ |access-date=30 June 2010 |publisher=Original.antiwar.com}}{{cite web |date=5 February 2010 |title=Powerful Explosions Kill More Than 40 Shi'ite Pilgrims in Karbala | Middle East |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/blast-kills-27-in-iraqi-shiite-city-of-karbala-83628687/111949.html |access-date=30 June 2010 |publisher=.voanews.com}}{{cite news |last=Hanun |first=Abdelamir |date=5 February 2010 |title=Blast in crowd kills 41 Shiite pilgrims in Iraq |publisher=News.smh.com.au |url=http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/blast-in-crowd-kills-41-shiite-pilgrims-in-iraq-20100205-nivg.html |access-date=30 June 2010}} For instance, a suicide bomber killed at least forty-four Arba'in pilgrims and wounded some seventy others in 2012 near Nasiriya, Iraq.{{cite news |last1=Karadsheh |first1=Jomana |date=12 January 2012 |title=Shiite pilgrims make their way to Iraqi holy city amid tight security |agency=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/12/world/meast/iraq-arbaeen/ |url-status=live |access-date=3 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005003836/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/12/world/meast/iraq-arbaeen/ |archive-date=5 October 2015}} In another attack in 2013, at least twenty pilgrims were killed and another fifty were wounded by a car bomb.{{cite news |date=3 January 2013 |title=Car bomb in Iraq kills at least 20 Shiite pilgrims |work=independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/car-bomb-in-iraq-kills-at-least-20-shiite-pilgrims-8437360.html}} The pilgrimage is therefore performed under tightened security, guarded by tens of thousands of Iraqi forces,{{cite news |last1=Rasheed |first1=Ahmed |date=24 December 2013 |title=Shi'ites finish Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq under tight security |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-shiite-festival-idUSBRE9BN0G020131224 |url-status=live |access-date=3 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005013230/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/24/us-iraq-shiite-festival-idUSBRE9BN0G020131224 |archive-date=5 October 2015}} and supported by Iranian advisers at least in 2015.{{cite news|last1=GEORGE|first1=SUSANNAH|title=Millions of Shiite pilgrims flock to Iraqi holy city for annual Arbaeen commemorations|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/12/02/millions-of-shiites-gather-in-iraqs-karbala-for-arbaeen|access-date=8 December 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210192948/http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/12/02/millions-of-shiites-gather-in-iraqs-karbala-for-arbaeen|archive-date=10 December 2015}} In the same year, the Iraqi police seized eighteen booby-trapped dolls, stuffed with explosives, which were intended to be scattered on the roads leading to Karbala during the Arba'in pilgrimage.{{cite news|last1=Varghese|first1=Johnlee|title=Booby-trapped dolls seized in Baghdad; Isis planned bomb blasts during Arbaeen|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/booby-trapped-dolls-seized-baghdad-isis-planned-bomb-blasts-during-arbaeen-655770|access-date=21 November 2015|work=International Business Times|date=20 November 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120142934/http://www.ibtimes.co.in/booby-trapped-dolls-seized-baghdad-isis-planned-bomb-blasts-during-arbaeen-655770|archive-date=20 November 2015}}{{cite news|title=Iraqi security forces dismantled 18 booby-trapped dolls in Baghdad|url=http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2473057&Language=en|access-date=21 November 2015|work=Kuwait News Agency|date=20 November 2015|location=Shuwaikh|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121225439/http://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2473057&Language=en|archive-date=21 November 2015}}

Political dimensions

As with other Shia rituals of Karbala,{{Sfn|Gordon Melton|2010|pp=211{{ndash}}212}} the Arba'in pilgrimage was banned by Saddam Hussein,{{Sfn|Nasr|2007|pp=18{{ndash}}19}} who favored the Sunni minority in Iraq,{{Sfn|Gordon Melton|2010|pp=211{{ndash}}212}} and viewed Shia rituals as a political threat.{{Sfn|Nasr|2007|pp=18{{ndash}}19}} The pilgrimage was revived immediately after his deposal in 2003 and that year's march to Karbala thus symbolized Shia defiance of Sunni regional powers. The 2003 pilgrimage also set off a regional wave of Sunni violence against the Shia minority as scores of Shia mourners were killed in multiple bombings in the following Ashura.{{Sfn|Nasr|2007|pp=18{{ndash}}20}} Later on, as millions of Shias risked their lives by their participation, the Arba'in pilgrimage embodied their protests against the rise of ISIL, a Sunni extremist militant group with aspirations for a hardline Sunni caliphate and responsible for several Shia massacres.{{Cite news |date=24 November 2016 |title=You probably haven't heard about this Muslim pilgrimage in defiance of Isis |language=en-GB |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/20-million-muslims-march-against-isis-arbaeen-pilgrimage-iraq-karbala-a7436561.html |access-date=9 November 2017}} In recent years, the participation of non-Iraqi Shias in the Arba'in pilgrimage has fostered a sense of solidarity among Shias. In particular, the unprecedented Iranian attendance in recent pilgrimages could be an indication of Iran's victories against its Sunni regional rivals. Yet the Arba'in pilgrimage also exposes the rivalries between different political currents within the Shia community.

In the media

= Media blackout =

The Arba'in pilgrimage remains largely unknown in the West, even though it is far larger than Hajj. Some have therefore accused the Western media of censoring or minimizing the annual Shia march.{{Cite web |last=YJC |first=خبرگزاری باشگاه خبرنگاران {{!}} آخرین اخبار ایران و جهان {{!}} |title=سانسور رسانه های غربی در مقابل بزرگترین پیاده روی جهان |url=http://www.yjc.ir/fa/news/6307984 |access-date=9 November 2017 |website=خبرگزاری باشگاه خبرنگاران {{!}} آخرین اخبار ایران و جهان {{!}} YJC |language=fa-IR}}{{Cite web |last=YJC |first=خبرگزاری باشگاه خبرنگاران {{!}} آخرین اخبار ایران و جهان {{!}} |title=واکنش کاربران به سانسور راهپیمایی اربعین در رسانه های غربی +تصاویر |url=http://www.yjc.ir/fa/news/6308874 |access-date=9 November 2017 |website=خبرگزاری باشگاه خبرنگاران {{!}} آخرین اخبار ایران و جهان {{!}} YJC |language=fa-IR}}{{Cite web |last=آقاپور |first=هدیه |title=روزنامه كيهان96/8/16: پيام زائران اربعين در سكوت رسانه هاي استكبار |url=http://www.magiran.com/npview.asp?ID=3658958 |access-date=9 November 2017 |website=www.magiran.com}}{{Cite news |date=9 December 2015 |title=No one covered the Muslim anti-Isis march that took place in London last week |language=en-GB |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/muslim-anti-isis-march-not-covered-by-mainstream-media-outlets-say-organisers-a6765976.html |access-date=9 November 2017}}

= False reports =

In 2016, Asharq al-Awsat, a Saudi-owned news site, reported from the World Health Organization (WHO) that "unplanned pregnancies and [...] disease" were seen "following the arrival of scores of unregulated Iranians to take part in the annual Shia pilgrimage to Karbala." The article added that 169 unmarried women were impregrated by Iranian pilgrims.{{cite news|url=http://www.albawaba.com/loop/iraqi-women-impregnated-iranian-pilgrims-906452|title=Are scores of Iraqi women being impregnated by Iranian pilgrims?|date=20 November 2016|work=Al Bawaba|access-date=23 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125111341/http://www.albawaba.com/loop/iraqi-women-impregnated-iranian-pilgrims-906452|archive-date=25 November 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/11/190700/saudi-paper-sacks-iraq-correspondent-over-fake-report|title=Saudi paper sacks Iraq correspondent over 'fake' report|work=NST Online|access-date=23 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122184403/http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/11/190700/saudi-paper-sacks-iraq-correspondent-over-fake-report|archive-date=22 November 2016|url-status=live|agency=Agence France-Presse}} These claims later proved to be fabricated. They were rejected by the WHO, which also condemned the use of its name for spreading false news.{{cite web|url=http://www.emro.who.int/ar/2016-arabic/who-condemns-false-news-on-iraq.html|title=بيان إعلامي: منظمة الصحة العالمية تنفي خبراً كاذباً عن العراق|website=WHOofficial website|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122063216/http://www.emro.who.int/ar/2016-arabic/who-condemns-false-news-on-iraq.html|archive-date=22 November 2016|url-status=live|access-date=23 November 2016}}{{cite news |title=WHO: Saudi Media Claims on Iraq Report "Unfounded" |work=Al manar |url=http://english.almanar.com.lb/107127 |url-status=live |access-date=23 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122190341/http://english.almanar.com.lb/107127 |archive-date=22 November 2016}} The Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi and some other Shia leaders similarly condemned the report, which had further described the arrival of Iranian pilgrims as an "incursion against Iraqi sovereignty" and warned that they would spread diseases in Iraq.

Gallery

File:Arbaeen 2015-4.JPG|Arba'in pilgrims

File:Arbaeen pilgrimage walk 01.jpg

File:Arba'een Pilgrimage - Iranian People- Shia Muslim 09.jpg

File:Arba'een pilgrimage's Walk on the Najaf-Karbala Route 08.jpg

File:Arbaein by Karbobala.com (2).jpg|A man grilling meat to serve the Arba'in pilgrims

File:Arbaeen 2015-3.JPG|Free meals are distributed by volunteers

File:Arbaeen 2015-1.JPG|A man holding a tray full of dates for pilgrims

File:Arbaeen pilgrimage walk 016.jpg|Volunteers that serve the Arba'in pilgrims

File:Arba'een pilgrimage's Walk on the Najaf-Karbala Route 021.jpg

File:Arba'een Pilgrimage - Shia Muslim - Mehran City- Iran - Social Documentary - Mostafa Meraji 03.jpg|An Iranian volunteer distributing free drinks

Footnotes

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Category:Mourning of Muharram

Category:Islamic pilgrimages

Category:Islam in Iraq

Category:Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Category:Husayn ibn Ali

Category:Muslim martyrs

Category:Karbala