A Lebanese Shiite boy winces as a man prepares to cut his head with a razor during Ashoura, the Shiite Muslim commemoration marking the 7th-century death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala, in the southern market town of Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)
Bangladeshi Shiite Muslims participate in an Ashoura commemoration marking the 7th-century death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
A Lebanese Shiite boy winces as a man prepares to cut his head with a razor during Ashoura, the Shiite Muslim commemoration marking the 7th-century death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala, in the southern market town of Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)
Shiite Muslims touch a horse, that symbolizes the horse that carried Imam Hussein during the battle of Karbala, at an Ashoura procession, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)
Muslim women and children stand on the roof of a hotel as they watch the Ashoura commemoration marking the 7th-century death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in Prayagraj, India, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Shiite Muslim women take part in a ritual during an Ashoura procession in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
A Shiite Muslim beats his chest during an Ashoura procession marking the 7th-century death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in Mumbai, India, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Shiite faithful pilgrims light candles outside the holy shrine of Imam Hussein during a Muharram procession marking Ashoura, to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in Karbala, Iraq, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)
Shiite Muslims are commemorating Ashoura, marking the 7th-century death of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein, that gave birth to their faith.
The rift between Islam’s two main sects deepened after Sunnis killed Imam Hussein in battle in the Iraqi city of Karbala, south of Baghdad, in 680. It continues to play a key role in shaping the identity of Shiites, who represent over 10% of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims.
In the Shiite community, Ashoura is viewed as a symbol of struggle against injustice and tyranny. Participants usually wear black and set up black funeral tents, a sign of mourning, while carrying red flags that represent Hussein’s blood. Clerics recount the story of his death as people cry and beat their chests.
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