Arbaeen An Opportunity to Elevate Nations’ Political Discourse: Lebanese Scholar
Talal al-Atrisi addressed an international conference on “Political Discourse Strategies of Arbaeen in the International Arena”.
The conference was held virtually and in person on Wednesday morning, ahead of the annual Arbaeen march.
It was organized by the Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought in cooperation with the International Quran News Agency (IQNA), the Arbaeen Cultural Committee and a number of other institutes.
Atrisi, who has a PhD in sociology and is a university professor in Lebanon, said in his address at the conference that the Arbaeen march is a pilgrimage which is unique in terms of those taking part in it.
They are from different parts of the world, and not from Muslim countries only, and they have different scientific and cultural backgrounds, he noted.
He said a comparison between this annual event and other human gatherings throughout history shows that there are little similarities, and this necessitates carefully studying the dimensions, concepts and objectives of the Arabeen march.
Today, the Arbaeen march is a symbol of the kindness of the Iraqi people and their friendship with other nations, he stated.
Atrisi also said the Arbaeen march is an opportunity for people from different countries to talk with each other about various topics related to the Muslim world and their own countries, which signifies the political and social dimensions as well as emotional aspect of the pilgrimage.
He went on to say that Arbaeen should be viewed as an opportunity for enhancement of the discourse related to political, intellectual and social issues.
The Arbaeen mourning ceremony is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.
It marks the 40th day after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), Imam Hussein (AS). This year’s Arbaeen will fall on September 6.
Each year, a huge crowd of Shias flock to Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located, to perform mourning rites.
The pilgrims, mainly from Iraq and Iran, travel long routes on foot to the holy city.
Earlier this month, Iraqi officials expressed their readiness to host up to five million pilgrims from different countries during the Arbaeen season.
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