Karbala: City of Martyrs

Karbala: City Of Martyrs

Shia pilgrims flock to Karbala

The bomb blasts in Karbala and Baghdad during the Shia Muslim commemoration of Ashura did more than rock the fragile stability of Iraq - they were a signal to the new power base in the country, the Shias, that their mosques, their shrines and their festivals will be targeted by extremists.

For the first time in three decades, Iraqi Shias were able to mark Ashura - the commemoration of the the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed - openly in Karbala.

Channel 4's cameras followed Shia pilgrims from the UK, USA and Iraq as they wrestled with the decision to travel to Karbala and mark the first free Ashura in three decades.

The 90-minute film records pilgrims' decisions, Ashura itself and the intense emotions of the Shia mourning of Hussain's death. It includes footage of the bombings and their aftermath.

Comments

Your Comments

Post your comment

Please note: In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in to Channel 4:

Sign In Here or Register Here

Comments closed

Comments are closed at the present time

Your comments

Post your comment
By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our Comments Policy.
Mandatory Fields are marked with *
Your Comment (Maximum characters: 4000) *
You have

Comments

Thank you for your comment!

Your message will be reviewed and the best ones will be published below.

If you intended to make an official comment to Channel 4 please contact us.

Comments

  1. where i can watch this documentry?
    Posted by najaf on 26/11/2009 18:05:42
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment

Advertisement

Skip Channel4 main Navigation
Explore Channel4
Food
Homes
Film
4Car
News
See All

Channel 4 © 2009. Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of external websites.