A safe Ashura: Iron-clad spirits hold aloft centuries-old tradition

Lessons in discipline, faith and unity unfolded on Muharram 10 for children, mourners.

KARACHI: “My children have been coming to the Ashura procession since they were born,” said Kaneez Fatima, as she walked towards a check post with her family, who were all bundled up in sweaters and shawls.

She was among the thousands of people who amassed at Purani Numaish, where the day-long main Ashura or Muharram 10 procession starts in Karachi each year to commemorate the martyrdom of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). And while the rest of the city turns into a ghost town, Numaish overflows with humanity.

“We come for Imam Hussain (RA),” said Shahnaz Khan, 37, as she listened to the strains of the sermon from a loudspeaker. “The children never tire of coming,” she added, as her young son sipped a cup of soup. “They don’t want to leave.”

Smooth-cheeked children and gangly teenagers are involved in organising this event at every level, from the traffic arrangements to seating people for prayers and accompanying the procession. Under the watchful eye of their parents, a group of children standing atop a trailer distributed water, the spiced-rice biryani and sweetened milk.

A five-year-old girl proudly stated that she had served water for 10 people already. Her friend, 10-year-old Aatir, was more of a veteran. “The first time I was very confused but I’ve done this for five years now,” he said shyly. “I’ve distributed milk to over two dozen people today.”

They were steeled for the long day ahead of them and even though it’s winter, the temperatures rose. “We get people to queue when we distribute food,” said Aatir. “They follow instructions from children too!”

Security remained a talking point for the procession that was protected its entire length from Quaid-e-Azam’s mazaar up via MA Jinnah Road, to Tibet Centre and beyond into the heart of the old city to end at Imambargah Hussainian Iranian. Ghulam Zahra, in her 50s, asked questions about the police’s riot gear, but wasn’t too disturbed with the thousands of conspicuous security officials present. “We come every year … but the devil [can] visit too and do his work,” she said, alluding to last year’s attacks.

The Ashura ‘jaloos’ was also an opportunity for many families to come together. Ghulam Zahra beamed with pride when asked about hers. “My entire family is here today,” she told The Express Tribune. “By the grace of God, this year my sons-in-law have converted - with their parents’ blessing - to the Fiqh-e-Jafria. They even did ‘churri ka matam’ [self-flagellation with knives attached to long chains] today.”

In the midst of the extended families were Zaman Hussain and Laiba, who sat on the pavement as the procession made its way through the streets. Unlike many, the couple was alone. Their entire family was in their hometown of Bahawalpur. Laiba poured fruit juice for her two-year-old daughter and sighed at the mud on her clothes. Her four-year-old son silently watches the procession. “I have sweaters for them in case it gets chilly,” said Laiba, looking fondly at her children.

For her husband Hussain, this was the spirit, the ‘jazba’ or love they had for their faith. “Jin ki razadari mai aaye hain woh kainaat ke malik hain,” he remarked.  Even though people turned out in the thousands on Friday as a demonstration of their grit in the face of threats, the air was laced with the unspeakable acknowledgement of the risk. Memories of last year’s attack were still raw but it did not dampen spirits. During the afternoon prayer, chants of “Hussain, ya Hussain!” rang out loud, trumping the buzz of the ever-present helicopter overhead.

In a strong show of force, security personnel — policemen, Rangers and plainclothes officials — patrolled every inch of the procession route. They shared their food, water and supply of cigarettes with reporters covering the day’s events (some standing atop their digital satellite news gathering vans) and offer rides to those on foot. When a seal was discovered missing from one of the closed stores, a security official implored a horde of reporters and cameramen who amassed there to not “overdramatise” the situation.

But the police, ironically had their own sense of ‘drama’. Express 24/7 correspondent Shaheryar Mirza saw three transgendered people being turned away from the men’s line at the Numaish check post. The police officer reportedly told them, “Aap to ladies hain! Wahan ladies ki line me jaayein!” [You’re women! Get into the women’s line]

Female officers checked women thoroughly, to the extent that I was asked to drink from a water bottle I was carrying. “You never know,” the officer said. “People may bring in kerosene oil.

We can’t take any chances.”  It was one comment, however, that summed up the overarching theme of the day: faith tempered by the acknowledgement of human responsibility. As women left the checking area, one officer called out: “You are in God’s hands. Please take care of yourself.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2010.