Ashura symbol of refusing hegemony: Activist

For millions of Muslims around the globe, the lunar month of Muharram is a time for remembrance and reflection. Apart from organizing large-scale mourning rituals to commemorate their third Imam, Shia Muslims review the lessons learned from the historic Battle of Karbala and its message for humanity. On this occasion, Press TV has talked to Shabbir Hassanally, an activist and Islamic scholar, about the significance of the event and the values for which Imam Hussein and his companions sacrificed their lives.

Hassanally commented that one of the titles of Imam Hussein is ‘Abu al-Ahrar’ which means ‘the father of the free,’ adding this is one of the reasons why every free person in the world should refuse any sort of hegemonic rule.

During the event of “Ashura, [and] the Battle of Karbala, 72 was the number of the people on Imam Hussein side and close to 30,000 [the number of people] on the side of the enemy. But these 72 [people] are remembered [today], whereas those 30,000 have been forgotten. Because Imam Hussein stood for the truth and against the tyrant of the day,” Hassanally argued.

The activist mentioned that the event of Ashura is not exclusive to Muslims. He referred to the ongoing worldwide oppression by the Takfiri terrorists, Israelis, Saudis, the US and its allies of the nations of Syria, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq, and argued, “These people are being harmed and oppressed because they refused to bow [down] to the tyrant, and this is the message of Imam Hussein. He taught us that you should not bow down and humiliate yourself in the face of injustice and tyranny. You must fight for the truth, support the oppressed and oppose the oppressive.”

Imam Hussein and his companions were martyred on Ashura, the 10th day of the month of Muharram.