Bahrain introduces restrictions on Shiite Yom Kippur ceremonies

Events are limited to five days instead of ten, and funeral processions must end at midnight – only in Manama they can last until two in the morning. Travel to Iran and Iraq is prohibited, including to Karbala, the center of a multimillion-dollar pilgrimage.

Shiites make up the vast majority of Bahrain’s population, but the kingdom is ruled by Sunnis. The country’s leadership fears that the outcome of the Gulf War, which in the Arab world is perceived as a victory for Iran, will lead to a surge of religious fervor that threatens the stability of the state.

The Bahraini authorities have repeatedly accused Iran of attempting to stage a coup. In 2011, during the Arab Spring, the country experienced unrest that was suppressed only thanks to the military intervention of Saudi Arabia.

Ashura Day was established in memory of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein in 680. The grandson of the prophet and 70 of his closest companions were killed in the Battle of Karbala by the Umayyad caliph Yazid the First.

According to tradition, this date is celebrated with special services, as well as funeral processions, the participants of which inflict bloody wounds on themselves with knives and chains, singing songs in memory of the imam. From songs with the refrain “Wah, Hussein!” The Russian name for this day “Shakhsey-Vakhsey” originated.

Note that Ashura, the tenth day of the Muslim lunar calendar, is associated with Yom Kippur. According to legend, the Prophet Muhammad, having arrived in Medina, learned that Jews were fasting on this day – supposedly in memory of the deliverance of Musa (Moses) and the sons of Israel from Pharaoh. Only later was the fast moved to the month of Ramadan.