Jul 6

Jul 6 Āshūrā

Chicago, Chicago Tourism, Flowers, Performance, Public Declarations

Today is July 6, 2025 in the Christian-dominated West. In the Muslim world, today is the tenth day of Muhrarram, the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar, which means both the Sunni and Shia sects commemorate the holy day of Āshūrā (عَاشُورَاء). Each sect has a different take on the day. Sunni Muslims believe that on this day (i) Moses parted the Red Sea; (ii) God forgave Abraham; and (iii) Noah disembarked from the Ark.

For Shia Muslims, Āshūrā is a day of mourning for Husayn ibn Ali, the prophet Muhammad’s grandson. Husayn was the third Shia imam.

The Umayyad caliph, Yazid ibn Mu’awiya, demanded that Husayn pledge his allegiance to Yazid, but Husayn refused to do so because he contested Yazid’s status as caliph. Husayn believed the caliph was attached to the house of Ali rather than Umayyad. Moreover, Yazid led a corrupt regime. To continue to wield his power, Yazid needed an endorsement from Husayn, who was revered. It was not forthcoming.

While traveling with 70 men to Kufa, the seat of the Ali caliph in what is now Iraq, Husayn was met by Yazid’s 30,000-man army on the plains of Karbala. During the ensuing battle, Husayn and many of his relatives and companions were killed. Anticipating his impending death, Husayn said, “Death with honor is better than a life of degradation.”

Obviously I am not an authority on Islam or Husayn, but in my limited readings about him, I have come to view Husayn as Aristotelian, placing great importance on virtues. Interestingly, Aristotle’s virtues resemble Husayn’s, which may not be a coincidence. After all, the Muslim world became the de facto custodian of the ancient Greek manuscripts, translating and preserving the works during Europe’s Dark Ages. Husayn taught justice, tolerance, generosity, honor, and equality, which is why Shia Muslims mourn his death and commemorate his life.

Last year, I witnessed my first Āshūrā processional. Starting at Daley Plaza, the group commemorating Husayn marched up Michigan Avenue, turned onto upper Wacker Drive, and then returned to Daley Plaza. This year, city officials put the kibosh on the march to accommodate NASCAR, but permitted Chicago’s Shia Community to hold the annual ceremony in Daley Plaza. While the city’s concern over traffic congestion is a legitimate one, the city could and should have permitted the march, particularly if the organizers agreed to an alternative route.

Walking around the Loop both yesterday and today, I witnessed very little traffic. Following two years of NASCAR, Chicago’s citizenry knew not to drive downtown, which raises an obvious question: Why stage an automobile race requiring street closures on one of the year’s busiest weekends? The streets were lined throughout the weekend with both tourists and locals.

Despite the city’s limitations, the faithful still gathered for what turned into an almost three-hour commemoration of Husayn ibn Ali’s life. I used the term “celebration,” several times when asking participants questions about the gathering, but was corrected each time. Apparently, the word “celebration” carries connotations of joyfulness, but today is a day of mourning.

While the commemoration didn’t appear to be a religious service in the strictest sense, it certainly had religious elements. From what I could gather, several imam spoke or recited prayers. It was hard to tell for two reasons. First, there were lots of speakers. Second, on several occasions, lone men standing in the crowd would spontaneously speak or sing praises to Husayn ibn Ali. Were they imams or just people overcome by emotion?

While many focus on religious divisions, I tend to see overlap and commonality among the world’s religions. The spontaneous shouts and utterances struck me as being no different than what is heard on a typical Sunday morning in an African-American church—the spontaneous call and response between the pastor and members of his congregation.

Many of those in attendance were of Iranian heritage, but the event had absolutely nothing to do with the current conflict between Iran, on the one hand, and the United States and Israel, on the other. Husayn ibn Ali predates both the United States and the modern state of Israel by well over 1,700 years.

Unfortunately, one man who is often at pro-Palestinian rallies showed up with his anti-Israel signage. His messaging was way off key given today’s focus on an important religious figure and virtue.

Today’s lead banner referenced the “Annual Ashura Procession,” but as noted, there would be no procession in Chicago’s streets. The organizers, however, improvised. Sometime around 11:00 PM, they asked everyone to step into formation behind the lead banner. Like their Orthodox Jewish brethren, the woman and the men remained separated, with the women on the northern end of the plaza and the men directly to the south. The men led the way once the procession began.

Without intending to be disrespectful, as the group circled the Daley Center, thoughts of the Kaaba in Mecca came to mind, although the group only circled the Daley Center once instead of the ritual seven times when moving counterclockwise around the Kaaba. Midway through the procession, the group stopped. More people spoke, some offering what might be described as sermons and others offering what at least had the cadence endemic to prayers.

Because Husayn ibn Ali is a martyr being mourned, those attending at various points struck their chests, symbolically sharing Husayn’s pain. Once again, despite doctrinal differences, the world’s religions share much in common. Is a Muslim striking his or her chest all that different from members of the Catholic group, Opus Dei, who practice self-mortification of the flesh? Both are attempts to remind adherents of the suffering experienced by those they venerate.

Today’s highlight was the woman with an electric green scarf who spoke as Picasso’s creature lurked in the background Painting a dramatic picture of Husayn by linking various factual aspects of his life with the virtues he held dear, the woman’s delivery was forceful, poetic, and flawless. Later a second woman, dressed in black, also delivered a terrific speech.

Not sure whether women can serve as imams, I asked one of the organizers whether the woman in the green scarf was an imam. I was not surprised to learn that only men qualify as imams. The organizer referenced the Pope when answering, hoping I would better understand.

As for Donald J. Trump: Those organizing anti-Trump and other Progressive rallies certainly could take a page out of the sponsoring organization’s playbook—the Midwest Association of Shia Organized Muslims (“MASOM”). People circulated through the crowd offering ice-cold bottles of water, Gatorade, and juice. Around noon, I noticed large boxes stacked on tables near the south end of the plaza. I asked whether the boxes contained more bottles of water and Gatorade. “Nope,” they contained boxed lunches for everyone. One organizer said to me, “How can we not feed people?” He then indicated that it was the group’s duty to do so. While traveling throughout the world, I have experienced similar Muslim hospitality. Despite being an obvious outsider, I was repeatedly offered food and drink as I circulated through the crowd.

All and all, a very inspiring event. I do regret that the city denied the group the opportunity to march in the street. Last year, a two-story high, triangular-shaped banner led the procession, making quite an impression on me. I asked about it. The organizers had left it behind because there would be no procession in Chicago’s streets. Hopefully, next year the group can return to the streets.

Photographer’s Note: As my photographer colleagues know, I will crawl through a crowd to gain better position. Today, I didn’t crawl because of the event’s solemn nature, which made certain images unattainable. For the same reason, I did not kneel or stand between the adherents and those leading the program.

Accuracy: I am obviously a fish out of water when it comes to Islam and Husayn ibn Ali. In case this post includes any inaccuracies, please advise me by sending an email. My apologies in advance.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]