Remembering Ta'ziyeh in Iraq

Ta'ziyeh means literally "mourning," the expression of condolence. For the Shiite sect of Islam, it has a further meaning: lamentation for martyred imams, or leaders of the faith. In particular ta'ziyeh means mourning for Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein was leader of the opposition movement, Shiat Ali, which fought for dominance in the early Muslim community. Hussein was slain in battle on the plains of Karbala, Iraq, in 680, and the forces of Yazid, son of Muawiyah, triumphed; the Shiat ("the partisans of ") Ali were put down, and the Muslim world divided forever into two great sects: Sunnite, the majority still, and Shiite, the minority. Thus among the Shiites, mourning for Hussein becomes mourning for lost leadership and power, and a symbolic statement of perceived injustice. The third definition of ta'ziyeh concerns the shabih, or passion play that is performed in Shiite communities on Ashura, the 10th day of the month of Muharram, when Hussein fell in Karbala.

On Ashura the passion play is performed all over the Shiite Muslim world, in communities ranging from Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan to India, south Lebanon, Anatolia in Turkey, and among immigrants in other areas throughout the world, such as Jamaica and Trinidad.

In Iraq, however, the ta'ziyeh is not simply the passion play and surrounding episodes, but rather a two-part drama. Part one is performed locally in most Shi'a communities during the month of Muharram, climaxing on Ashura. Part two is performed on Arbain, the 40th day after the death of Hussein, and brings together scores of communities, members of which perform the ta'ziyeh, or mourning ceremony together. In addition, thousands of pious Shiites recognize that Arbain is the propitious time to make the pilgrimage to Karbala and pay their respects personally at the tomb of Imam Hussein. For, though all Muslims have the duty to perform the hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in their lifetime (if at all financially possible), Shiite Muslims have a further duty: to make pilgrimages or ziyaras to the tombs of the imams identified as moving forces in the religious history of the Shiite community. These practices—of ta'ziyeh and of pilgrimages to the tombs of the imams—are far less common in Sunnite ritual observances; hence they serve to define Shiism itself, which many scholars, including Gustav Thaiss, believe is based on a worldview of persecution, actually unjust persecution (1972:358). Thaiss points out further that the community has until recently viewed itself as a passive community; that is no longer the case.

Recent events in Iraq would seem to support the latter view, that the Shiites no longer view themselves as passive. In 2004, according to the lunar calendar, Ashura fell on 2 March and for days beforehand pilgrims had been gathering in Karbala to mark that fateful day. This was the first time in many years they were able to perform ta'ziyeh, since Saddam Hussein had banned all such gatherings. But before the ritual began, a suicide bomber roared into the city, and exploded, killing nearly ... people and wounding about 300. A series of up to nine explosions was heard about two miles from the city center, which police attributed to five suicide bombers. According to Adnan Pachachi, a member of the ruling council, these people were "terrorist and evildoers [...] trying to destabilize the country through sectarian strife. L. Paul Bremer, the American representative said "the acts were committed, to provoke sectarian violence among Muslims" (Burns 2004). The ta'ziyeh performances proceeded as scheduled. As CNN reported, "even after the violence, pilgrims continued their religious observances" (CNN 2004).

However, Shiite leaders clearly took note of the events, and banded together to prevent a recurrence of violence on Arbain, 10 and 11 April. Two moderate Shiite leaders cooperated to amass troops to control access to Karbala: American and Polish troops formed a cordon outside the city limits. Those news bulletins of 3 March and 10 April took me back nearly 50 years from my comfortable home in Austin, Texas, to the crowded dusty streets of Karbala. There I, with women...