AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): About a week before Arbaeen of Imam Hussain (a.s.), the Mowkeb of Ashura International Foundation was set up in front of the pillar No. 833 on the main Najaf-Karbala Road, known as Tariq Ya Hussain (a.s.).
According to its main duty, the Ashura International Foundation carried out various cultural and welfare activities during the Arbaeen ceremony of 1444 H (2022).
Referring to the procedure of launching the activities, the head of the executive committee of Arbaeen headquarters of this foundation stated, “In order to maximize the attendance and service to Arbaeen pilgrims, a headquarters was formed in the Ashura Foundation under the chairmanship of Ayatollah Akhtari, and the activities launched with the forming of committees.”
In an interview with ABNA, Mr. Abbas Haider stated, “The heads of these committees organized the preparations by holding and participating in numerous meetings with activists in Arbaeen and the heads of the Mowkebs in Tehran, Qom, Najaf and Karbala.”
According to him, in this regard, coordination meetings and exchange of views were held with heads, managers and activists of institutions and organizations such as the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly, Arbaeen Headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Representative of the Supreme Leader in the Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tehran Municipality, Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, Al-Albayt (a.s.) Institution, Consulate of the Islamic Republic in Najaf, AhlulBayt (a.s.) Assembly of Iraq, AhlulBayt (a.s.) University of Karbala, Al-Mustafa (p.b.u.h) International University, and the organizers of the Mowkebs and Hey’ats of different cities.
Referring to the setting up the Mowkeb of the Foundation procession in Iraq, Mr. Haider stated, “About a week before Arbaeen of Imam Hussain (a.s.), the Mowkeb of Ashura International Foundation was set up in front of the pillar No. 833 on the main Najaf-Karbala Road, known as Tariq Ya Hussain (a.s.).”
“In this procession, we took various cultural measures, the necessity of which had been recognized and the preparations for which prepared in advance; like the: distribution of Arbaeen and Ashura pilgrimage letters, distribution of flags, brochures, software, and flash memories with contents related to religion, culture, and Arbaeen, the presence of missionaries from different nationalities and conversations with pilgrims,” he continued.
Also, referring to some welfare activities of the executive committee of the Arbaeen headquarters of the Ashura International Foundation, Abbas Haider the head of the committee said, “As you know, this year due to the extreme heat of the weather and the larger number of people than in previous years, the pilgrims faced the problem of access to drinking water at some point during the Arbaeen pilgrimage. Therefore, by activating a group of benefactors who participate in charity activities, the foundation procured a significant amount of sanitary packaged water, and then provided them with the necessary ice for the Mowkebs. As a result, cold water was distributed among the pilgrims, and this was a great help in solving the problem of access to drinking water for pilgrims.”
“In addition to water and ice, some other necessary supplies for welcoming and reception of the pilgrims, such as rice, were prepared and distributed by the Foundation’s Arbaeen headquarters,” Mr. Haider added.
“No help was received from the government in financing any of these items, and no pressure was imposed on the Beit al-Mal (country’s Treasury). Rather, philanthropists and benefactors from Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey and Iran contributed to the Foundation,” he stated.
“One of the tasks that was suggested in the headquarters meetings in Tehran before the beginning of the Arbaeen pilgrimage was the appreciation of the foundation to the Mowkebs and Mowkeb owners. In this regard, the Foundation’s ambassador, who is one of the popular artistic and religious figures, attended the Mowkebs and Hey’ats and conveyed the Foundation’s gratitude to the esteemed servants of Arbaeen,” continued the head of the executive committee of the Arbaeen headquarters of the Ashura International Foundation.
He also mentioned the visit of the Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly to the Foundation’s Mowkeb and said, “In their walking way to Karbala, Ayatollah Ramazani and his accompanying delegation also visited the Mowkeb located in Tariq Ya Hossein (Najaf-Karbala main road) and saw the activities firsthand, which encouraged our colleagues there.”
Also mentioning the activity of Ashura International Foundation in the march of remainders (those who missed or couldn’t participate in Arbaeen Great Walk of Imam Hussain (a.s.) in Iraq), Mr. Haider added, “On the day of Arbaeen in Tehran, a procession with an area of 60 m2 was set up on 17 Shahrivar St., which was on the path of the March of the Remainders. In this Mowkeb also a lot of cultural and welfare measures were carried out, such as the installation of the flag of the Holy Shrine of Imam Hussain (a.s.) by which thousands of people were blessed, the distribution of pilgrimage letters, setting up a special booth for children, free shoe polishing, the distribution of free water, dinks, soup and herbal tea among the marchers and spraying perfume for them.”
“In the Mowkeb of the Foundation in Tehran, artistic and media programs were also held such as eulogy and praising (for AhlulBayt), the performance of a hymn by the Nasim-e Behesht group, and the installation of IRIB Quran Radio station and its live broadcasting,” he continued.
In the end, while expressing gratitude and appreciation to all those who helped the activities of this headquarters in Arbaeen, the head of the executive committee of the Arbaeen headquarters of the Ashura International Foundation said, “In particular, it is necessary to express gratitude to Ayatollah Mohammad Hassan Akhtari, the head of the Foundation, Ayatollah Dorri-Najafabadi, Vice Chairman of the Supreme Council of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly and representative of the Supreme Leader in Markazi Province, Mr. Hadi Saidi, the head of the supply committee of the headquarters, Hojat al-Islam Pahlevanzadeh Behbahani and his esteemed colleagues in the AhlulBayt (a.s.) Assembly of Iraq, Mr. Fathali Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hojat al-Islam Kazemi Mazandarani Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Najaf, Mr. Reza Almasi and members of the Hey’at Al-Zahra (a.s.) of Tehran, Mr. Sayed Javad Hashemi artist and actor of roles in Holy Defense movies and cultural ambassador of the Ashura International Foundation, Mr. Sayed Mohammad Abbas Nia, director of the remainders (those who missed or couldn’t participate in Arbaeen Great Walk of Imam Hussain (a.s.) in Iraq) Mowkeb in Tehran, Ms. Naji the head of the coordination affairs of the headquarters, Messrs. Jamal, Darvishi, Watani, Sayed Mahdi Hosseini, Mamizadeh, Tafreshi, and the members of the Foundation, as well as the hardworking members of ABNA News Agency, who covered the Foundation’s activities before, during, and after the Arbaeen pilgrimage.”
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