Millions Shiites Throng Imam Kadhim Shrine in Baghdad
Alwaght- Millions of Iraqis thronged the mausoleum of Imam Kadhim AS in Baghdad Sunday for the climax of week-long mourning ceremonies for the 7th Imam of Shiite Muslims.
The ceremonies were the climax of a week-long pilgrimage where the faithful marched towards the Imam’s shrine in the northern district of Kadhimiyah.
Some of the pilgrims were seen carrying a symbolic coffin of the Imam during the annual event in the Iraqi capital.
Imam Kadhim AS, the seventh of 12 revered imams in Shiite Islam, died in 799 AD. The commemoration has in recent years turned into a major event that brings the Iraqi capital to a virtual standstill.
Iraqi officials estimate that around 10 million people came to Kadhimiyah for the commemoration in recent years.
As the country’s forces battle ISIS terrorists in Mosul, security was tightened across the capital to protect the pilgrims. Major streets were closed to minimize the risk of car bombs and allow the pilgrims to reach the shrine with some of them having walked for several days from around the country.
Shiite religious events and sites are prime potential targets for terrorist attacks by the ISIS Takfiri group which continues to be weakened amid intensified operations by Iraqi forces.
