An Iraqi Shiite Muslim man gestures towards the sky
People wearing face masks to attend Ashura in Istanbul, Turkey.
Thousands of tearful pilgrims wearing gloves and face masks flooded Iraq’s city of Karbala on Sunday to mark Ashoura in one of the largest Muslim gatherings since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
Ashoura, the 10th day of the Muslim month of Muharram, commemorates the killing of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussein in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.
Typically, millions of Shia Muslims from around the world flock to the golden-domed shrine to pray and cry, shoulder-to-shoulder.
But with coronavirus numbers spiking across the globe, this year’s commemoration is subdued.
There were notably fewer pilgrims this year as authorities in Iraq, other Shia-majority countries and the United Nations urged people to mark the holiday at home.
People wearing protective face masks at the Tehran University Musalla, Iran.
(Source: Al Jazeera)
