Arbaeen this year: All eyes on Gaza

The 80-kilometer route from the holy southern Iraqi cities of Najaf to Karbala in which pilgrims walk on foot is flooded with Palestinian symbols in strong protest to the Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity in the besieged Gaza Strip. In 2023 more than 20 million took part in the Arbaeen ritual.

At the start of the journey, the call to al-Aqsa center has been set up to represent the al-Aqsa Mosque in Israeli-occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem).

So far, these have included speeches by prominent figures, wounded members of the Iraqi resistance honoring an injured Palestinian from Gaza as well as a visit by the governor of Karbala, wearing the Palestinian Keffiyeh.

The governor of Karbala has not been alone in putting on the Keffiyeh.

In the battle of Karbala, Imam Hussein (AS), chose to die in dignity rather than surrender in humiliation to a tyrant. The Palestinians are also refusing to surrender to a criminal regime. Pilgrims from around the world have been photographed with the Palestinian scarf around their necks.

The Palestinian flag has also become a common symbol on the road from Najaf to Karbala. Pilgrims are waving the flag while hundreds of thousands of places, offering food and other services along the route, have raised the flag of Palestine alongside the banner of the community they represent.

Hundreds of Palestinians are helping to organize events this year in a strong sign of Shia-Sunni unity at a time when critics have censured the U.S. and the Israel of setting up an online cyber army to drive a wedge between the two major sects of Islam.

The pro-Palestine mobilization has caught the imagination of social media users online where all freedom seeking people are posting and reposting the pictures coming out of the Arbaeen procession.

The Arbaeen walk, which marks 40 days since Ashura, represents many lessons taken from the sacrifices of Imam Hussein (AS) in the battle of Karbala, despite the battle occurring some 1,400 years ago.

One of these lessons is that Imam Hussein with his 72 companions did not surrender to a tyrannical ruler who dispatched tens of thousands of soldiers to kill the Imam without showing any mercy or humanity.

Also, Imam Hussein was under siege for several days, and prevented from collecting water for his thirsty family and children and for the thirsty children of his companions.

Today, the Palestinians in Gaza are also under total siege by Tel Aviv. Palestinian children are also thirsty, yet Gaza refuses to wave the white flag to surrender.

In the battle of Karbala, Imam Hussein, chose to die in dignity rather than surrender in humiliation to a tyrant.

The Palestinians are also refusing to surrender to a criminal regime.

Many lovers of a free and just world participating in the Arabeen this year have the Palestinian’s struggle for freedom in their thoughts.

The horrific yet resilient scenes coming out of Gaza have inspired them to raise the flag of Palestine in the largest annual gathering in the world.

The scenes coming out from Gaza is what inspires them to raise the flag of Palestine in the largest annual gathering on the planet.

The Arbaeen ceremony is unique in that it is the largest gathering with the presence of people from different nationalities from across the world. This has become a transnational and global event.

It ignites the sparks of Ashura, turning it into a movement.

This global gathering offers a significant opportunity to amplify the voice of the oppressed Palestinian people on an international level.

The Israeli regime and its propaganda apparatus, as well as antagonistic media platforms, are actively working to undermine this grand epic through various methods and means.

Like last year, the Arbaeen ritual will not receive the international media coverage that it truly deserves, mainly because internal politics are put aside on the path to Karbala.

The pilgrimage has turned into a major sign of unity. And unity has proven to signify strength and power in West Asia, something the U.S. has sought to prevent with wars and military interference.

But many Western media outlets will also censor the Arbaeen this year because the dominating theme is Palestine and many in the Western world are complicit in the war crimes being committed by the Israeli regime.