Protest against unconventional celebrations in Iraq.
The celebration was held under the pretext of launching a housing project in Nasiriyah, and a male singer who sang for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during the Ba’ath regime was invited. The residents of Nasiriyah, who are always known as hosts to pilgrims to Abu Abdullah al-Hussein (AS) during Arbaeen, protested against the celebration and carried placards that read: “Dhiqar is the province of the Hussain governorate and does not allow obscene celebrations.”
Despite public protests, the celebration was held last Saturday night with dancing and singing. Subsequently, the Dhi Qar Governorate released a statement disavowing the celebration, saying that the company investing in the residential complex project was responsible for organizing the celebration.
The former head of the Iraqi Shiite Endowments warned in a statement about the spread of vulgar celebrations in southern Iraq and called for a countermeasure.
“Sayyid Alaa Al-Musawi,” a professor at the Najaf Ashraf Seminary, said that southern Iraq has always been a stronghold for the religious and the protection of Husseini rituals, and if silence is maintained today against the phenomenon of obscene celebrations, especially in the city of Nasiriyah, a bad future awaits everyone.
According to him, from the perspective of the missionary religion of Christianity, Nasiriyah is related to the historical monuments of “Ur” and the birthplace of Prophet Abraham (PBUH). They want to organize the Abrahamic pilgrimage in Nasiriyah, and the construction of one of the largest Christian churches in Nasiriyah and the facilities they are building in this city are in this direction.
This well-known Iraqi religious figure emphasized that Nasiriyah is under threat today, and if silence is maintained against obscene celebrations, worse days await us; everyone must act responsibly and stand up to this phenomenon.
Most of these celebrations have been held in recent years, especially in Baghdad and some cities in southern Iraq, such as Basra, and this is the first time that Nasiriyah has hosted such celebrations. Not long ago, the holy city of Karbala witnessed an unusual celebration, which was stopped due to widespread protests by the city’s residents with the prompt intervention of the provincial administration, and the company in charge of organizing the celebration was expelled from Karbala.