(4 Jul 2025)
PAKISTAN ASHOURA PREPARATIONS
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
LENGTH: 3:26
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Karachi, Pakistan – 3 July 2025
1. Various of artists making the Jhoola (cradle) in for preparation for processions marking Ashoura, a remembrance of the 7th century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein
2. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Subhan Khan, artist:
“We are devotees of Imam Hussain, and we also want to prepare symbolic structures at their finest. The preparation process of the cradle used to take almost two and half to three months’ time. And there is a lot of hard work involved in making the cradle. It is not an easy task to make it.”
3. Various shots of women shopping ahead of the annual religious processions
4. Punjah, a symbolic representation of the hand of Abbas, a grandson of Prophet Muhammad
5. Woman looking at prayers beads in shop
6. Punjah, carrying the names of those killed along with Hussein in battle at the hands of Sunnis at Karbala in Iraq
7. SOUNDBITE (English/Urdu) Raza Anwar Ali, shopkeeper:
"We are here to facilitate all the mourners who come here. They buy from us, either they do it for their home mourning or do it for the mosques or they do it for ‘Mannat’ (solemn pledge) purpose. Secondly, we have a lot of things in ‘Mannat’ or in mourning. When we say we have a lot of varieties of symbolic articles. For instance, jhoola (cradle), alam (flags), mashkiza (water bag) and they all have certain significance."
8. Various of shop displaying symbolic objects for Ashoura
9. Various of customer buying symbolic objects at stall
10. Cutaway of knives on display
11. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Suboori Raza, buyer:
"We mourn the martyrdom of the Honorable Imam Hussein in Muharram (a month in the Islamic lunar calendar). We make preparations for such mourning as there is no grief other than this sorrow in this world. We purchase these symbolic articles as a sign of respect and to pay homage to the sacrifice of the Karbala martyrs. Everyone knows what happened in Karbala, it was war between Islam and the hypocrites."
12. Various of workshop preparing articles for mourning procession marking Ashoura
13. Various of police personnel
STORYLINE:
Preparations are underway in Karachi as Shiite Muslims prepare to mark the day of Ashoura, a remembrance of the 7th century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein,
Mourners observing the solemn period in Pakistan start preparing with the start of the month of Muharram, the first in the Islamic calendar.
"We mourn the martyrdom of the Honorable Imam Hussain in Muharram. We make preparations for such mourning," said Suboori Raza, a shopper preparing for the day. "There is no grief other than this sorrow in this world."
Shoppers in Karachi are buying symbolic items to place at homes or mosques.
Artists carefully prepared and decorated a cradle that will be paraded during the Ashoura commemoration.
Shiite Muslims in Pakistan mark Ashoura with two main events, a procession on the day itself and another one on the day preceding it.
Around the world, the worshippers are seen beating their chests and flagellating themselves with knives attached to chains on the day of Ashoura.
The Pakistani government has heightened security measures, deploying 5,000 security personnel to secure mourners in Karachi.
Shiites are a minority in predominantly Sunni Muslim Pakistan, and have suffered attacks by extremists Sunni militants that view them as apostates.
AP video shot by Muhammad Farooq
===========================================================
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/76a6dee2deaa40d2887c6c70b971b699
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in July 9, 2025, 3:04 pm.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
