Muharram marks the mourning period for the Shia communities worldwide as we remember and honour the great sacrifice of Imam Husain (as) and His family in this month. Over the centuries, the forms of spreading and passing on the messages of Aashura and expressing the mourning have evolved to cater the requirements of all generations. With the times changing more swiftly than ever and the strong presence of social media, the challenge to meet the learning requirements of the upcoming generation is more significant than ever. However, the followers of Imam Ali (as) have never shied away from a challenge, and our community members have once again shown that the legacy of mourning will remain, even if we sometimes switch from the traditional methods of mourning.
Besides the regular Majalis and Azadari programs, Muharram 1445 has seen multiple new initiatives and projects by the Jamaats of the Khoja communities worldwide to engage the younger generation. Our team has compiled a few outstanding projects in a 2 part series, part 2 of which will be published in the coming weeks. Please read below to find out more about the initiatives of Jamaats from London, Toronto and Dar-es-Salaam.
- London
The members of Al Askari Youth – The official Youth Committee of the KSI of Milton Keynes, prepared a Manzar – A sight or a view of Imam Husain (as) and His family in Karbala. The scene designed would change daily, based on the events of Karbala, as per the narrations. Video updates of these scenes are available on Al Askari Youth’s Instagram page (here), from which we have taken a few snapshots attached below.
- Toronto
Our community members at the ISIJ of Toronto, Canada, raised the Flag of Hadhrat Abbas (as), while reciting the popular nauha “Aa dekh mere Ghazi, uncha hai Alam tera …” outside the community centre. Members attended this flag-raising commemoration, dressed in all black, joining the nauha recitation, creating an atmosphere of grief, which befitted the occasion – A replication of Flag changing ceremony at the Holy Shrines of Imam Husain (as) and Hadhrat Abbas (as) in Karbala.
Similar to the Manzar made by the Al Askari Youth, the ISIJ of Toronto created a Manzar which covered the entire journey of Imam Husain (as) from the time he left Madinah to perform Hajj in Mecca to his arrival at Karbala and the day of Aashura.
- Dar-es-Salaam
KSIJ DAR
Our community members at KSIJ Dar, took things to a higher level by creating a grand-scale Manzar. The Manzar, called as Karbala Project, was made opposite to Mehfile Abbas in DSM. Glimpses of the Karbala Project are available on KSIJ Dar’s social media channels and can be viewed here. We have added a few snapshots for our readers below:
In addition to the Karbala Project, KSIJ Dar also organised a Blood Donation Drive on the day of Aashura and Become a Husaini Kid initiative for the toddlers of our community.
Youth Islamic Service (YIS)
From 11th to 13th August, Dar-es-Salaam-based community organisation Youth Islamic Service (YIS) organised “The Imam Hussain Exhibition” – Witness the Legacy that conquered 1400 years ago at Tambaza High School, UN Road, Upanda.
While the details on the insights of the exhibition are still awaited, as the exhibition is still on-going, Shaykh Nuru Mohamed, who was among one of the invitees, commented “I must say, it exceeded my expectations. …. I have never come across an exhibition like this one in my life which is portraying not only the event of Karbala but from the birth of Imam Hussain (as) to Karbala and beyond Karbala ..”
The exhibition was open for all communities, and tickets were available at the KSIJ Mosque Compound. The YIS received such overwhelming response that they decided to extend the exhibition, and keep it on display for an additional day, i.e. 14th August.
Aside from the exhibition, the YIS also organised a 2 days Kids Workshop with arts, crafts and fun painting to inclucate the story of Karbala in a kid friendly environment.
It is worth noting that these are only some of the Jamaats we have been able to compile here, and several more Jamaats have organised similar fantastic initiatives during the month of Muharram.
In this era of social media, where everything is online, it is very refreshing to see the efforts and hard work that the Jamaats are making to continue the legacy of Muharram and to support the learning of the younger generations. The Khojanews team takes this moment to appreciate the Jamaats for their hard work, as there is no doubt that these centres are not just for Majalis and commemorations but also vital institutions for religious learnings. May Allah (swt) accept their efforts and grant them the intercession of Imam Husain (as) on the day of judgement, Ameen.
Watch out this space for Part 2 of this series which will be published in the coming weeks!
If you know of any such initiatives that have been organised in your jamaat, please do send the details to us on info@khojanews.org