Srinagar- In a first for Kashmir’s Muharram history, the traditional 8th Muharram procession which commences from Guru Bazar and culminates at Dalgate in Srinagar took an unexpected turn this year, transforming into a massive pro-Palestine rally.
Tens of thousands of mourners who rallied in the city centre carried and waved Palestinian flags alongside the usual Alam Sharief and chanted slogans in support of the oppressed of the world and in denunciation of their tormentors.
Mourners said that they carried the flags ‘out of a natural will’ to show solidarity with the oppressed, particularly the people of Gaza.
Authorities, who lifted the ban on 8th Muharram procession after 35 years last year, had this year directed organisers to conclude the procession within a two hours time period starting at 6 in the morning from Guru Bazar and conclude at Dalgate by 8 AM.
Procession did commence at 6 but concluded only in the late afternoon as the entire five kilometre stretch was clogged with people.
Maulana Masroor Abbas Ansari, who was leading the procession said the timeframe set by Govt was arbitrary and impractical for such a big community. He turned emotional when reminded of the last 35 years of struggle by his late father to take out this procession.
Although the exact number of mourners who joined the Muharram procession remains unknown, according to Syed Muzamil Rizvi, a volunteer with Yadgar-i-Hussaini committee, 60,000 mourners participated in the procession.
Entire city centre was shut with markets closed for the day. Traffic too was off the roads.
There was sizable young participation in the procession with colourful banners reminiscent of modern day processions in Karbala.
Many of the youth were wearing Kifayah symbolising support for Palestinians.
Ali Saffudin, one of the mourners, told Kashmir Observer, “Karbala teaches us to stand up for truth and against oppression. Gaza has been turned into a modern-day Karbala where Israelis are killing Palestinians. It is our duty to extend our support for them in this hour and this is the least we can do.”
Many young people were seen wearing badges depicting Palestinian flags.
Aamir Ali, a participant, said that the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza has compelled people here to break the silence and speak on their behalf.
One youth, Ali, was also seen distributing pamphlets highlighting Israeli companies operating in India were being handed out, and calling out for their boycott.
Earlier, Aga Syed Muhammad Hadi, a prominent Shia cleric who has a substantial following on social media had called for supporting Palestinians during this year’s Muharram ceremonies and procession.
“If we don’t express our solidarity with the suffering people in these ceremonies, all of these gatherings will lose their purpose,” Hadi said.
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