Ashura ceremonies intertwine faith and support for state in Iran

Since the start of Muharram – the first month of the Islamic calendar – last week, black cloths have been draped across many of the passageways and neighbourhoods in Tehran and other Iranian cities as a sign of mourning. Wednesday and Thursday marked Tasua and Ashura, declared public holidays in Iran each year by the authorities to mourn the killing more than 1,300 years ago of Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the third of 12 Shia Muslim imams. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list For the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ashura is also a political affair. The state presents itself as being a continuation of Hussein, the “martyred” leader , who chose to die along with his fighters and family members during an uprising instead of bowing down to what he perceived to be the unjust rule of the Umayyad caliphs of the time. In this vein, slain commanders of the Tehran-backed, and predominantly Shia, “axis of resistance” – such as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah – are believed by supporters to have attained the highest levels of honour in death. Khamenei, who held absolute power for nearly 37 years, is now called “seyyed ol-shohada” or the most exalted of martyrs, by state media and some followers, which is the title most associated with Imam Hussein. …