The Day of Ashura, Bahrain
Between Spring 2008 and summer 2011 I taught design and chaired the Fine Arts and Computer Graphics program at New York Institute of Technology in Manama, Bahrain. In November or December every year the Shi’a Muslims would organize parades to commemorate the Death of the grandson of Muhammad, Hussein. Hussein’s death at the hands of soldiers of the Muslim Caliph in Syria represented the conflict between over the issue of how authority to rule should be passed on. The group who became the Shi’a branch of Islam believed it should be through the blood lines of the founder, Muhammad. The group who evolved into the Sunni branch of Islam believed it should be through the political lines of royal authority. This difference continues to represent a significant divide within Islam.
Sunni Islam controls most of the governments of the Islamic world, with the exceptions being Iran and very likely Iraq after power is re-distributed there. Shi’a Muslims look to their Imams to receive divine guidance which is beyond dispute and which guides the religious and political regions under their control. Sunni Muslims tend to look to the Koran as a finished document to guide Sharia law. Both Islamic groups have their more moderate factions as well as their radical factions. For Sunni Islam, the Wahhabis and Al Qaeda form their radical wing, for the Shi’a, the Hezbollah. An excellent book to elaborate on these issues is The Shia Revival, by Vali Nasr.
A short video of composite clips from several parades on Dec. 14, 2010 is posted at my Youtube account here, The Day of Ashura video.
photo-documentary-bahrain
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Day of Ashura Parade documentary
Selected photos in exhibit, 'Expressions of Belief'
UV Inkjet reverse printed on acrylic panels
Fulbright Gallery, Kyiv, Ukraine, June 2012
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Waiting Crowd in Sunabis
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade, Dec. 2010, Bahrain
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Convoy to Karbala Pagaent, Ashura Parade
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade, Dec. 2010, Bahrain
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Hussein's Death at Battle of Karbala, 680 CE/AD
By local painter, Digital photo, Day of Ashura, Dec. 2010, Bahrain
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Convoy to Karbala, Day of Ashura parade
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Dec. 2010, Sunabis, Bahrain
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Convoy to Karbala, Family of Hussein as Prisoners
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Sunabis, Bahrain, Dec. 2010
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Day of Ashura parade, girl dressed as Zaynab
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Sunabis, Bahrain, Dec. 2010
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Crowd Waiting for Ashura parade
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Sunabis, Bahrain, Dec. 2010
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'The Elevation of the Word', Tenets of Hussein and Shi'a Islam
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Sunabis, Bahrain, Dec. 2010
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Ritual Flagellation
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Sunabis, Bahrain, Dec. 2010
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Ashura Pageant Flags
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Sunabis, Bahrain, Dec. 2010
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Shi'a Mosque, Manama
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Manama, Bahrain, Dec. 2010
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Day of Ashura Parade
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Manama, Bahrain, Dec. 2010
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Group Chant
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Manama, Bahrain, Dec. 2010
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Water Stand
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Manama, Bahrain, Dec. 2010
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Ritual Mourning
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Manama, Bahrain, Dec. 2010
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Ritual Mourning; Blood-letting
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Manama, Bahrain, Dec. 2010
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Ceremonial Swords and Blood
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Manama, Bahrain, Dec. 2010
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Martyrs and Tyrants Sign
Digital photo, Day of Ashura parade
Sunabis, Bahrain, Dec. 2010
If you’re interested, there’s a link above to a composite video posted on YouTube, that combines clips from several Ashura parades in and around Manama, Bahrain. The sound track helps you understand a bit better, the total experience of being there. LK