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Muharram Live
Muharram 8
Security
Security is tight around the holy city of Karbala as more than a million
visitors converge on the site of the Battle of Karbala, visitors must
have passes and clear several checkpoints to gain admittance to the
town.
Instead of the punitive measures employed by Saddam's Ba'th regime
to prevent the commemoration of this Shi'a anniversary, the security
measures are there to protect the faithful.
There has already been an incident in the Al-Karadah area of Baghdad two nights
ago when two mortars were fired during a memorial gathering attended by hundreds
of Shi'a to commemorate the anniversary of Husayn's martyrdom. The first mortar
fell on the roof of an adjacent house and did not cause any casualties while the
second landed 100 metres away and failed to explode.
The police cordoned off the area but the attackers had already escaped.
A police officer is reported to have said there would have been a
massacre if either of the mortars had hit their target, the seminary.
Security circles in Iraq are watching with concern the developments
that precede the commemoration of Ashura day and on the day itself.
Thousands of young volunteers have organized themselves into local
protection committees amid fears that some parties might create tension
and exploit the mass gatherings that will reach a pinnacle on Monday
March 1 when Karbala reaches its capacity on the eve of Ashura.
In a briefing on February 26, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez,
the Commander of Coalition Ground Forces in Iraq confirmed coalition
forces were involved in the security for Ashura.
"We have been working with the governors and the security forces
in Najaf, in Karbala, here in Baghdad and some of the other major
cities to be able to assist in providing that security.
"We have had meetings with the leadership, and in Karbala there's
a robust plan that is synchronised and coordinated to be able to provide
security," he said.
One of the main groups covering the security is the Karbala center
of Shi'ite learning, the Hawza al-Ilmiya--which has been dispatching
volunteers throughout Iraq's Shi'a communities to guard banks, get
power plants back on line and set up checkpoints.
General Sanchez said they were confident that working with the Iraqi
security forces, they could provide "reasonable security"
but he went on to warn, "that doesn't mean that we're going to
prevent every incident from occurring".
While Iraqi Shi'a will be praying for a peaceful commemoration they will also
reflect on centuries of persecution which culminated in the rule of Saddam Hussein.
They will also be demonstrating their clout in the new Iraq. As well as new freedoms,
Shi'a hope the fall of Saddam will bring them political power to reflect their
majority status.
Their most revered cleric, Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, has led demands
for elections as soon as possible, and has criticised U.S. plans for
a quota system that would ensure Sunni Arabs and Kurds were represented
in Iraq's transitional government.
Find out more here with Jonathan Miller from Channel
4 News' report from Karbala (February 29, 2004)
Read about the lead up to Ashura.
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