KARBALA: Dozens of Iraqi pilgrims chanted anti-corruption songs during Ashura ceremonies in the shrine city of Karbala on Wednesday, criticising the country’s anti-graft watchdog.
Their shouts came as hundreds of thousands of Shia Muslims poured into the city for the climax of Ashura, to commemorate the killing of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, by armies of the caliph Yazid in 680 AD.
"Tell us how many thieves have been presented to the integrity commission," one group of pilgrims chanted, reciting a poem written by their procession leader, referring to Iraq’s anti-corruption agency, the Public Integrity Commission, which was created in January 2004.
"We swear by your name, oh Hussein, that we are not afraid to speak, to express ourselves, to publicly denounce these wolves!"
Another group shouted: "Integrity commission, you must do your duty, you must denounce all the thieves who steal the wealth of Iraq! You must denounce all of them, whatever their rank, and break their necks!"
Transparency International rated Iraq the fourth-most corrupt country in the world in its 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index out of 178 surveyed. It ranked ahead of only Afghanistan, Myanmar and Somalia.
"We are now allowed to recite these poems once again, after the fall of the former regime," said Hamid Meeri, one of the men chanting, referring to the 2003 overthrow of dictator Saddam Hussein, who barred the vast majority of Ashura commemorations throughout his rule.
"But the problem now is the officials do not listen to us."
Since US-led troops ousted Saddam, pilgrims have used Ashura poems as a way of expressing their anger over current issues.
Shias in their hundreds of thousands were descending on Iraq’s holy city of Karbala on Wednesday ahead of the climax of Ashura ceremonies, surrounded by heavy security over fears of attacks.
Black flags, representing the sadness of Shias during Ashura, and pictures of the revered Imams Hussein and Abbas, both of whom are buried in Karbala, were seen throughout the city.
Violence targeting pilgrims in Iraq has claimed the lives of 10 people in the past few days and authorities said some 28,000 soldiers and police were securing Karbala, with a further 7,000 available if needed.
By Friday, some two million followers are expected to be in Karbala, including around 100,000 foreigners.
"I challenge the terrorists who do not want the ceremonies to continue … I don’t know how they consider themselves Muslims," said Hussein Kadhim, a pilgrim from the outskirts of Karbala city.
"We will continue with our ceremonies even if they attack us, even if they kill us."
Provincial authorities deployed dozens of mobile medical units across Karbala, 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Baghdad, for pilgrims, many of whom travelled to the city by foot from across Iraq.
The authorities were also testing the quality of water and food being handed out.
Visible signs of the heavy security were evident throughout, as private vehicles were banned from entering Karbala and all pilgrims entering the city were searched, with bomb-detection devices and explosives-sniffing dogs being used in vehicular searches.
Six security perimeters have been established around the city, with a particular focus on entrances to Karbala and its old city, close to Imam Hussein’s shrine.
Ashura has in previous years been a target for Sunni Arab extremists, who see the 10-day ceremonies as symbolically highlighting the split between Islam’s two main communities.
Suicide attacks and roadside bombs in Baghdad and the central province of Diyala since the first day of Ashura, which means tenth in Arabic, on December 8 have claimed the lives of 10 pilgrims.
The deadliest Ashura attacks were in March 2004, when near-simultaneous bombings at a Shia mosque in Baghdad and in Karbala killed more than 170 people.
The 10-day rituals, which climax on Friday, commemorate the killing of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, by armies of the caliph Yazid in 680 AD. Tradition holds that the revered imam was decapitated and his body mutilated.
Ceremonies begin with devotees drenched in blood after ritually slicing their scalps and flaying themselves with chains attached to sticks during processions, symbolically showing their guilt and remorse for not defending Hussein.
"I hope Iraq’s politicians take a lesson from Imam Hussein," said Haidar Aziz, a 30-year-old pilgrim who travelled with his family to Karbala from Babil province.
"He fought corruption, and took care of the people and helped provide services," Aziz said, in reference to Iraq’s degraded infrastructure and lack of sufficient electricity and healthcare for its population.
While thousands of pilgrims visit Karbala and other major Shia shrines in Samarra, Najaf and Baghdad, every day — many from Iran and other countries with large Shia populations — the number peaks during Ashura.
The massive influx means Karbala’s 320 hotels have been filled, and local families are now opening their homes to travelers.
Shias make up around 15 percent of Muslims worldwide. They represent the majority populations in Iraq, Iran and Bahrain and form significant communities in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
