Thursday, August 09, 2007
Tight security in Baghdad as Shia pilgrims flock to Kadhimiya mosque
Religion
(BBC) - A huge security operation is under way in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, ahead of a pilgrimage that is expected to draw more than a million Shia faithful. Nearly 2,000 police and security agents are guarding the Kadhimiya mosque in northern Baghdad, and all traffic has been banned in the area. Each year many Shias walk to the shrine where the 8th Century saint, Imam Musa al-Kadhim, is said to be buried.
Almost 1,000 pilgrims died in 2005 when rumours of an attack caused a stampede. Many victims, mostly women, children or elderly, were crushed or drowned as panic spread that there were suicide bombers among the pilgrims. More than 1,800 Iraqi police, including hundreds of security agents, have been deployed in and around the mosque, which is one of Shia Islam's holiest sites.
Almost 1,000 pilgrims died in 2005 when rumours of an attack caused a stampede. Many victims, mostly women, children or elderly, were crushed or drowned as panic spread that there were suicide bombers among the pilgrims. More than 1,800 Iraqi police, including hundreds of security agents, have been deployed in and around the mosque, which is one of Shia Islam's holiest sites.
New checkpoints have been established in the area to deter possible insurgent attacks, especially in places where large crowds gather. The Iraqi security forces also say they will be using undercover officers to mingle among the pilgrims. American troops are keeping a low profile, staying away from the shrine out of religious sensitivity, the US military say.
The mosque has long been a target of insurgents, the BBC's Andy Gallacher in Baghdad says. Many Shias flog themselves during the pilgrimage. The pilgrimage marks the death in 799 of Musa al-Kadhim, the seventh of 12 imams revered by Shias. On Thursday, more than a million pilgrims are expected to march to the mosque, many flogging themselves with iron chains or cutting their foreheads with swords. These grieving rituals were banned under former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. But now they are something of a show of power for Shias in Iraq, our correspondent says.
The mosque has long been a target of insurgents, the BBC's Andy Gallacher in Baghdad says. Many Shias flog themselves during the pilgrimage. The pilgrimage marks the death in 799 of Musa al-Kadhim, the seventh of 12 imams revered by Shias. On Thursday, more than a million pilgrims are expected to march to the mosque, many flogging themselves with iron chains or cutting their foreheads with swords. These grieving rituals were banned under former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. But now they are something of a show of power for Shias in Iraq, our correspondent says.
Labels: Baghdad, Imam Musa al-Kadhim, Kadhimiya mosque, Shiite pilgrims
