Rocket kills 7 at Shiite ritual in Iraq Jan 20, 2008
template_bastemplate_bas The attack in Tall Afar comes amid celebrations of the Ashura holiday, which passed with fewer deaths than in some recent years ... It was the third day of violence surrounding the Ashura holiday, coming on the heels of deadly clashes in the south between security forces and a Shiite cult intent on disrupting the occasion ... Still, Ashura passed with fewer deaths than in some recent years, when Sunni militants have staged suicide bombings and mortar attacks. (Los Angeles Times)
Troops clash with Shia cult in southern Iraq Jan 19, 2008
The fighting in Basra and Nassiriya involving members of the Jund al-Samaa, or Soldiers of Heaven, occurred nearly a year after Iraqi security forces raided the group's lands to foil an alleged plot to slaughter pilgrims and leading clerics during Ashura, one of the holiest days in the Shia calendar. Authorities ordered a curfew in the two cities and security measures were intensified in the holy city of Najaf, marring preparations as more than a week of Ashura observances were scheduled to... (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Jackson fans meet idol for 1,800 Jan 19, 2008
In pictures: Ashura ceremonies. Medical plants 'face extinction. (Yahoo News -- Michael Jackson)
Apple overhauls entire iPod line Jan 19, 2008
In pictures: Ashura ceremonies. FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS. (Yahoo News -- Apple Computer)
Despite deadly clashes in Iraq, Shiite pilgrims spared Jan 19, 2008
Government troops in southern Iraq fought with a millennial religious militia group on Friday in clashes that left more than 40 people dead, but the troops successfully protected millions of pilgrims on the first day of Ashura, the largest religious holiday for Iraq's Shiite majority and one frequently marred by violence ... Hakim made his criticisms of the political process in Baghdad at an outdoor speech commemorating Ashura, which celebrates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, who is perhaps the... (International Herald Tribune)
Iraq's economic future looks bright, says IMF Jan 18, 2008
The bomber detonated explosives among men performing the rites for the Ashura holiday, the most important festival in Shia Islam. Traffic is banned from Baghdad and southern provinces for the next 10 days. (Guardian Unlimited)
Gaza child killing 'ends soldier release talks' Jan 17, 2008
At Ashura Shias mourn death of the Prophet's grandson. Full coverage. (Times Online)
'I love you' crosses Iraqi sectarian divide Dec 13, 2007
Saddam Hussein's late son Uday ordered them during Ashura, a somber religious festival for Iraq's then-repressed Shiite population. More recently, Ammar al-Hakim, the son of powerful Shiite leader Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, has sponsored mass marriages for 3,700 couples, most of them devout Shiites. (Christian Science Monitor -- USA)
Iraq's schools: sectarian split Nov 6, 2007
Recently a group of Shiite students beat their chests to protest poor dorm conditions"the same way they do during [the Shiite festival of] Ashura," says one professor. "I was shocked.". (MSNBC -- International)
Islam in USA Sep 25, 2007
The same, plus Ashura (marking the martyrdom of Ali's son Hussein at Karbala in A.D. 680), and several other days honoring key moments in the lives of imams. Prayer. (USA Today)
Fact Sheet: Combating Terrorism Worldwide Aug 7, 2007
On March 2, 2004, bombers targeted hiites celebrating Ashura. Suicide bombers using IEDs and grenades attacked the Holy Shrine of al Kadhamiya in Baghdad and the al Hussein and al Abbas Mosques in Karbala, killing nearly 200 civilians and injuring hundreds. (White House News Releases)
What's New at the DeKalb Public Library Jul 29, 2007
Finding the child Ashura, who has the golden eyes of the royal family, Yasha becomes a wanted criminal as he protects the heir from the forces of the usurper. Come visit Heroes @ your library, DeKalb's graphic novel and manga club for teens, as we present G Veda, by the famous all-woman manga studio CLAMP. Get your copy today at our display near the Reference desk, then show up for the meeting from 6:30-8 p.m. Sept. 6 and discuss it with us. (DeKalb Daily Chronicle, IL)
U.S. troops face Mahdi Army in Baghdad Jul 16, 2007
Graffiti marking the walls in these neighborhoods herald the new order: "Every land is , and every day is Ashura," read one slogan, extolling the Shiite holy city in southern Iraq and a major Shiite religious holiday. Brazen attacksThe brazen attacks on U.S. soldiers also appear to challenge the idea that the Mahdi Army has been lying low to avoid confrontations with Americans. (MSNBC -- International)
The struggle for Kirkuk turns ugly Jun 18, 2007
In his interview, Talabani recalled that at one point, when he raised the issue of Kirkuk with former prime minister Tarek Aziz, the latter told him that in this regard, "You [the Kurds] have one right: to weep as you pass through Kirkuk [since it will never become a Kurdish city]." Talabani replied: "Thank you Abu Zayd. You are a generous man." Aziz snapped back: "Are you joking?" Talabani replied: "No. I am not. There are 15 million Shi'ites who are deprived the right to weep on Ashura [a holy... (Asia Times Online)
The origins of Shiite Islam Jun 6, 2007
The major Shiite holidays celebrate the now glorious defeats and martyrdoms of Imam Ali and Imam Hussein, Ali's son, as typified by the preeminent Shiite holiday of Ashura, which marks the slaughter of Hussein and 72 of his followers by a Sunni caliph outside the Iraqi city of Karbala in AD 680 ... Ashura celebrations, for instance, were banned under Saddam Hussein, who feared they could lead to spontaneous uprisings. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Shiites Rising: Islam's minority reaches new prominence Jun 6, 2007
Ashura: Lebanese men observe the holiday, which honors the day Hussein died in battle in Karbala, Iraq ... The biggest Shiite holiday of the year, Ashura, honors that legend with reenactments, poetry, parades, and bloody self-flagellation ... This year, Ashura took on new meaning when it was celebrated in January. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Iran: Past the Paranoia Jun 5, 2007
Displayed on his shelves were the sharp, gray zanjeer chains employed by Shia zealots to lash themselves bloody during the fierce, miserable festival of Ashura. This marks the great defeat of Shia arms at Kerbala more than 1,300 years ago. (The American Conservative)
Opinion: Wrong message at the wrong time Apr 20, 2007
The major holiday of the Shia calendar, Ashura, commemorates Husseins death at Karbala in the 7th century; the Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala is one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam. The religious poster next to the name of the imam appears to include a picture of the shrine. (MSNBC -- International)
Suicide Bomb in Iraq Kills at Least 34 Apr 16, 2007
In March 2004, three bombers wearing suicide vests killed 140 worshipers on Ashura, a Shiite holiday, as they made their way to the city;s famous shrines, the police estimated. Another suicide bombing in January 2006 killed more than 40. (Foster's Daily Democrat)
Car bomb kills dozens in Iraqi city of Karbala Apr 15, 2007
In March 2004, three bombers wearing suicide vests killed 140 worshippers on the Shiite holiday of Ashura as they made their way to the city's famous shrines, according to police estimates. Another suicide bombing in January 2006 killed more than 40. (International Herald Tribune)
Iraq violence slaughters 62 Apr 15, 2007
Has the Mahdi Army ever been accused of these bombings (iAfrica.com)
DoD Special News Briefing with Colonel Burton from the Pentagon Briefing Studio, Arlington, Virginia Mar 17, 2007
Now, I believe that that increase in vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks is a result of a departure of Shi'a extremist leadership in recognition of the local Shi'a holiday of Ashura and Arba'in ... The explosive formed penetrator device is principally found where Shi'a extremists operate, and with the departure of the Shi'a extremists over the course of the last month, we're monitoring this very closely to ensure that this is not an artificial trend as we watch for the Ashura and... (DOD DefenseLINK -- News)
* Shiite pilgrims flood Karbalah Mar 9, 2007
Pilgrims are gathering in the city for Arbaeen today, marking 40 days after Ashura, which commemorates the killing in 680 of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed. PHOTO: AFP. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
BAGHDAD WITNESS Mar 9, 2007
More than a million Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims poured into Iraq 's holy city of Kerbala to mark Arbain, the end of a 40-day mourning period since Ashura, which marks the death of Prophet Mohammad's grandson Imam Hussein in 680AD.. . (AlertNet)
Attacks kill 130 Shia pilgrims Mar 7, 2007
Ashura, the annual holiday marking the anniversary of the battle and Hussein's death, as well as the subsequent pilgrimage, were largely suppressed under Saddam Hussein but have achieved more prominence since his fall. At the same time, they have become occasions for aggressive attacks on Shias: In 2004, roughly 180 were killed in Ashura attacks, and in 2005, more than 70 were killed. (Newsday -- World)
Where Sunni and Shi'a Get AlongDespite a long history of sectarian enmity, Afghanistan today seems to have convinced the rival sects to live together Feb 27, 2007
Throughout the recent Ashura memorials perhaps the most emotional of the Shi'a calendar there was not one report of sectarian violence in the country ... "Living as we do in a war-stricken country, it is useless to fight against each other," says Khalil Umrani, part of a 12-member shura (council of elders) that organized this year's Ashura celebrations at a Kabul mosque ... Last year's Ashura commemoration in Herat, for example, saw 105 people killed and 150 wounded. (Time.com)
A place where people still love Americans Feb 26, 2007
" and walks off. Hassan and I are growing increasingly restless. We joke that we have been in the car long enough for a regime change. But the soldier has yet to find another career, much less take his eyes off us. Two days earlier, during Ashura, the culmination of the martyrdom holiday when Iranians offer anyone on the street free food, known as nazri, we stop at a corner where a powerfully built man, perhaps 50, with olive-brown flesh, fierce black eyes and a black mustache lords over five... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
The smugglers of Iran's Kordestan Feb 21, 2007
During Ashura, Shi'ite Islam's most important festival and the commemoration of the slaying of the Prophet's grandson Hossein by his political opponents, there were none of the black shrouds of mourning, self-flagellating crowds that filled most of Iran's other cities. It is a time when the struggle by Iraq's already autonomous Kurds for their own state is providing inspiration to Kurds in neighboring countries. (Asia Times Online)
Grim battlefield Feb 19, 2007
The Iraqi officials said they'd learned that the militants were planning to attack Shiite pilgrims and Iraq's most important Shiite religious figures during the Shiite holiday of Ashura on Jan. 30 ... Hughes, who's from Big Spring, Texas, and his team from the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) of the Army's 25th Infantry Division had planned a routine visit to an Iraqi post in Najaf on Sunday, Jan. 28, to review security plans for the Ashura holiday the following Tuesday. (Anchorage Daily News)
New styles in Shia self-flagellation Feb 14, 2007
Hezbollah's politicization of Ashura ... The Shia holiday of Ashura, which celebrates the martyrdom of the Imam Hussein at Karbala in 680 CE, generates an endless supply of gruesome images: thousands of enraged young men slicing their foreheads with swords, beating themselves with chains, and screaming their allegiance to Allah in the streets of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan, and across the Muslim world--scenes that perfectly encapsulate Western fears of militant Islam. (New Republic)
How the US is doing Iran's killing in Iraq Feb 13, 2007
Abid Ali, who witnessed the Najaf fighting, said a procession of about 200 pilgrims from the Hawatim tribe had arrived in the Zarqa area near Najaf to celebrate the Ashura festival. After a confrontation over the procession, Iraqi soldiers at a checkpoint shot dead Hajj Sa'ad Sa'ad Nayif al-Hatemi, chief of the tribe, as he and his wife sat in their car. (Asia Times Online)
WP: Sunni-Shiite rift widens in Arab world Feb 12, 2007
In its eclectic popular culture, Sunnis enjoy a sweet dish with raisins and nuts to mark Ashura, the most sacred Shiite Muslim holiday. Raucous festivals bring Cairenes into the street to celebrate the birthdays of Shiite saints, a practice disparaged by austere Sunnis. (MSNBC -- International)
Tehran's power Feb 12, 2007
In Bahrain, the annual Ashura festival of mourning is part religious ceremony, part demonstration of political power. With sectarian tensions high across the region, it's a reminder to Bahrain's elites that, although the Shiites are poor and disenfranchised, they dwarf the ruling Sunnis in number, and hold an angry grudge. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Pilgrims massacred in the 'battle' of Najaf Feb 3, 2007
The confrontation took place on the Shi'ite holiday of Ashura, which commemorates Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed and the most revered of Shi'ite saints ... Local authorities, including the office of Najaf Governor Asaad Abu Khalil, who is a member of the pro-Iranian Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, had claimed before the killings that a group of primarily foreign Sunni fighters with links to al-Qaeda had planned to disrupt the Ashura festival by attacking Shi'ite... (Asia Times Online)
Shiite-Sunni conflict on the rise in Pakistan Feb 3, 2007
Preventive security: Shiites paraded through Karachi this week for the Ashura holiday ... MULTAN, PAKISTAN - In this Punjabi city of shrines, Shiites and Sunnis prayed side by side during Ashura this week, the holiest holiday for the world's 150 million Shiite Muslims ... If there is a growing global conflict, Malik Naseem Labar, a local Sunni politician, could not see it through the throngs during Ashura this week. (Christian Science Monitor)
Jamail: Najaf Battle Feb 1, 2007
The confrontation took place on the Shia holiday of Ashura which commemorates Imam Hussein, grandson of the prophet Muhammad and the most revered of Shia saints ... Local authorities including the office of Najaf Governor Asaad Abu Khalil who is a member of the pro-Iranian Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) had claimed before the killings that a group of primarily foreign Sunni fighters with links to al-Qaeda had planned to disrupt the Ashura festival by attacking Shia... (Zmag.org)
Cockburn: US Massacre? Feb 1, 2007
The incident reportedly began when a procession of 200 pilgrims was on its way, on foot, to celebrate Ashura in Najaf ... Sectarian killings across Iraq also marred the celebration of the Shia ritual of Ashura. (Zmag.org)
Wait-time strategy earns marginal grade from doctors Jan 31, 2007
Doctors give marginal grade to wait times strategy. Doctors give marginal grade to wait times strategy. (CBC News)
EU-wide public smoking ban urged Jan 31, 2007
In pictures: Ashura festival. MOST READ. (Yahoo News -- Smoking)
Hoping for unityShia Muslims in Beirut mark Ashura amid rising tensions Jan 31, 2007
Beirut tense as Shias mark Ashura ... By the time the ceremony got under way hours later, probably several hundred thousand Lebanese Shia - men, women and children, old and young, most of them dressed in black - had converged on the site chosen for the Ashura celebration ... Ashura celebrates the martyrdom in AD680 of the Imam Hussein, grandson of the prophet Muhammad. (BBC News -- Africa)
60 Shiites killed on holiest day Jan 31, 2007
The worshippers were marking Ashura, which commemorates the death of the prophet Muhammad's grandson in a 7th-century battle at Karbala, in southern Iraq ... A roadside bomb killed 15 Shiites participating in an Ashura procession in Baqouba, the capital of Diyala, and injured at least 30 civilians, according to Brig ... A roadside bomb in the sprawling Shiite enclave of Sadr City struck an Ashura procession, killing seven people and wounding 23, Salih said. (Buffalo News -- National)
Control Office: Jan 31, 2007
The militias were heavily armed and they were allegedly planning to attack Shiite leaders and holy sites during the religious holiday of Ashura. Estimates of dead fighters ranged from 150 to 400, and as the LAT makes points out, it's not clear how Iraqi officials came up with these figures. (Slate)
50 Iraqis Die as Holiday Brings Spasm of Sectarian Killing Jan 31, 2007
MARC SANTORA BAGHDAD, Jan. 30 ; Women dressed in black had just set out large caldrons to cook the traditional feast on the holy day of Ashura, a simple meal of rice and lamb in a tomato-based sauce ... At Ashura, Shiites commemorate what is for them the most formative event of their faith, a celebration that had been banned under Saddam Hussein ... Given the history of violence on Ashura, the Iraqi government deployed 10,000 policemen to guard Karbala, where many of the millions of pilgrims... (The Ledger)
Another illusion pulled from the Iraqi hat Jan 30, 2007
More than 150 people were killed in the week preceding the attack on the girls' school, most targeting Shi'ites as they prepared to celebrate the holy day of Ashura on Tuesday. Preceding all this bloodshed was the much-publicized shootout between Sunni militants and US troops, backed by Iraqi security, in Haifa Street in Baghdad in which 30 militants died. (Asia Times Online)
Quick Guide and Transcript Jan 30, 2007
during Ashura -- the holiest Shi'a ritual. The cult's intent --- to create more chaos, to accelerate the return of the Mahdi - the savior of the Shi'a. (CNN -- Education)
U.S. copter downed in fierce fight Jan 30, 2007
Recent intelligence reports said they planned to hide among the thousands of pilgrims who are currently making their way to the holy city of Karbala for the religious holiday Ashura on Tuesday, Diabel said ... Iraqi officials, already jittery over the security situation involving Ashura, decided to move against the fanatics Saturday night. (Anchorage Daily News)
Up 160 militants dead in fierce clashes close to Najaf (Roundup) Jan 30, 2007
Reports said the Sunni extremists had been planning a major attack against pilgrims gathering in Najaf and in neighbouring Karbala to celebrate the Shiite Ashura festival. Ashura commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the prophet Mohammed, at the battle of Karbala in the seventh century ... The religious festivities were to commence Monday, which Sunnis and the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government had declared as Ashura day. (Monsters and Critics.com)
Najaf 'back under control' Jan 30, 2007
The Iraqi government yesterday declared an end to major combat operations near Najaf, where US and Iraqi forces had fought hundreds of fighters from an obscure Islamic splinter group suspected of planning attacks on the Shia clerical establishment during today's Ashura celebrations in nearby Kerbala ... Muhammad al Askari, the defence ministry spokesman, said: "The victorious Iraqi forces, with US help, have smashed the group of terrorists who were planning to disrupt the holy day of Ashura." He... (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
US threatens firm response to Iranian meddling in Iraq Jan 30, 2007
The latest episode of violence in Iraq, however, appeared little connected to Iran, as the Iraqi government concluded major combat operations to subdue an obscure Islamic splinter group suspected of planning attacks on the Shia clerical establishment during today's Ashura celebrations in nearby Kerbala. Defence ministry officials said 200 militants, including the cult's leader, had been killed in the fighting and 60 were wounded. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Africa benefits from tourists' terrorism fears Jan 30, 2007
The Iraqi government yesterday declared an end to major combat operations near Najaf, where US and Iraqi forces had fought hundreds of fighters from an obscure Islamic splinter group suspected of planning attacks on the Shia clerical establishment during today's Ashura celebrations in nearby Kerbala. Readers tips. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Attacks target Shiite pilgrims Jan 30, 2007
A string of attacks on Shiite pilgrims on the final day of Ashura killed at least 38 people today in Iraq. During Ashura, Shiites mark the seventh-century martyrdom of the Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammed's grandson. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- Golf)
Presidents escape Liberia blaze Jan 30, 2007
Viewpoint: Ashura, festival of devotion. MOST READ. (Yahoo News -- Liberia)
Battle suggests new sectarian divides in Iraq Jan 30, 2007
Following Sunday's deadly battle, Najaf Governor Asaad Abu Khalil originally implied that the fighters were foreign Arabs of the sort usually associated with Al Qaeda and that their intention was to disrupt the religious festival of Ashura with plans to attack both pilgrims and senior ayatollahs in southern Iraqi city of Najaf, the principal seat of Shiite religious learning in Iraq ... Ashura commemorates Imam Hussein, grandson of the prophet Muhammad and the most revered of Shiite saints, and... (Christian Science Monitor)
Gloomy outlook for Kenyans in election year Jan 30, 2007
Iraq blasts kill Ashura pilgrims. FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS. (Yahoo News -- Kenya)
Hundreds killed in fierce battle Jan 30, 2007
" Sunday's fighting in Najaf and elsewhere was extraordinary, even by Iraq's bloody standards, highlighting the daunting challenge faced by U.S. and Iraqi forces, which are fighting a complex patchwork of elusive enemies, including Shiite militias and Sunni Arab insurgents. Iraqi security officials offered conflicting accounts of the identity and motives of the heavily armed fighters in Najaf, variously describing them as foreign fighters, Sunni Arab nationalists, loyalists of executed former... (San Francisco Chronicle)
1st Kuwaiti woman MP sworn in Jan 30, 2007
A bomb planted in a garbage can exploded Tuesday, killing at least 13 people as Shias continued observing the Ashura holy holiday near the Iranian border, police said ... A bomb planted in a garbage can exploded Tuesday, killing at least 13 people as Shias continued observing the Ashura holy holiday near the Iranian border, police said. (Yahoo News -- Kuwait)
Iraqi forces kill 250 militants in Najaf Jan 29, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007. Indo-Asain News Service. (Hindustan Times, India)
ISRAEL'S PARLIAMENT TO APPOINT FIRST MUSLIM MINISTER... Jan 29, 2007
Iraqi forces were on alert Sunday in the city of Karbala as hundreds of thousands of Shia worshippers gathered for the annual Ashura reglious festival ... Iraqi forces were on alert Sunday in the city of Karbala as hundreds of thousands of Shia worshippers gathered for the annual Ashura reglious festival. (The Drudge Report)
UPI NewsTrack TopNews Jan 29, 2007
Iraqi officials told CNN the insurgents were part of a force of as many as 600 militants who planned a massive siege Tuesday, the culmination of the Shiite holy period of Ashura. Part of the agenda was to assassinate Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most revered Shiite leader, officials said. (Washington Times, DC)
Iraqi, U.S. forces kill several hundred fighters Jan 29, 2007
The fighting, on the eve of the Shiite Muslim holiday of Ashura, came as a mortar attack killed five teenage girls at a school in Baghdad and the daily civilian death toll again nationwide climbed past 100. Iraqi security officials offered conflicting accounts of the identity and motives of the heavily armed fighters in Najaf, variously describing them as foreign fighters, Sunni Arab nationalists, loyalists of executed former dictator Saddam Hussein, or followers of a messianic Shiite death... (Montana Standard, MT)
On holiday eve, carnage in Iraq Jan 29, 2007
The fighting, on the eve of the Shia Muslim holiday of Ashura, came as a mortar attack killed five teenage girls and wounded 21 at a school in Baghdad, and the daily civilian death toll nationwide climbed to at least 113. The bodies of at least 54 people were found in various Baghdad neighborhoods, officials said. (Newsday -- World)
250 are killed in major Iraq battle Jan 29, 2007
He said they had come to assassinate Shiite clerics and attack religious convoys that were gathering in Najaf, one of Shiite Islam's holiest cities, and other southern cities for Ashura, a Shiite holiday that starts Monday night and runs through Tuesday morning ... At a news conference on Sunday afternoon, he said they called themselves "soldiers of heaven," and seemed to be part of a wider effort to disrupt Ashura ... Elsewhere in the heavily Shiite south, there were other signs of potential... (International Herald Tribune)
Week in picturesA look back at pictures in the news over the last week Jan 27, 2007
An Iraqi man flagellates himself during the celebration of Ashura, in Karbala, Iraq. Pressure on British Home Secretary John Reid grew after the head of the Youth Justice Board of England and Wales quit over policy on young offenders. (BBC News)
Birdcage bomb kills 15 Jan 27, 2007
Many predict an upsurge in violence ahead of the Shia religious mourning festival of Ashura, which culminates on Monday. Hundreds of thousands of Shia pilgrims will converge on the holy city of Karbala from around the country, to mark the slaying of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein, presenting an easy target that Sunni insurgents have used to wreak carnage in recent years. (TimesOnline)
Bomb kills 15 in new attack on Baghdad pet fair Jan 26, 2007
After a surge in bombings over the past few days, security forces are on high alert as Shi'ites prepare to mark the climax of the 10-day mourning rite of Ashura on Monday. Many hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are expected to converge on the holy city of Kerbala, south of Baghdad, for ceremonies banned during Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated, secular rule and now an annual highpoint for majority Shi'ites now in the political ascendant in Iraq for the first time. (AlertNet)
