Karachi: Catholics in solidarity with Shia for Ashura

The Commission for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism (Ccide) has promoted a ‘Sabeel’ for the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community. Events included a ‘walk’ in the cathedral area and the distribution of cold drinks to break the fast. The annual interfaith caravan of the Rwadari Tehreek Pakistan reached Karabla Gamay Shah.

Karachi (AsiaNews) - An initiative marked by dialogue and encounter between minorities, often victims of abuse and persecution. The Catholic Commission for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism (Ccide), headed by Mgr Benny Mario Travas and Fr Shakeel Gulzar, has promoted a ‘Sabeel’ for the Dawoodi Bohra community - of Shia tradition - on the occasion of the 10th of Muharram, or the Feast of Ashura.

This is the day on which Allah saves the Prophet Musa (or Moses, with a two-day fast reminiscent of the Jewish Yom Kippur) and, for the Shia, it has taken on an additional significance: the commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī and 72 followers at the hands of the Umayyad Caliph Yazid I.

The massacre took place on the tenth day of the month of muharram in year 40 of the Hegira and the period of mourning, for the minority component of Islam, lasts 40 days. On this occasion, every year hundreds of thousands of pilgrims travel to the city of Kerbala, Iraq, where the tombs of the imam and followers are located, to commemorate the mourning.

During the event, participants paraded promoting a ‘walk’ near St Patrick's Cathedral in Saddar, Karachi, breaking the long day of fasting at the Karachi Parsi Institute (Kpi) with a fresh fruit drink distributed to passers-by.

Fr Shakeel Gulzar, director of the KPC, explained that the ‘Sabeel’ is ‘a gesture of unity in diversity. It shows,‘ he continued, “that although we belong to different faiths and religions, we are ”one’ in our common belonging to human nature and under the Pakistani flag'. The priest then added that Muharram for Shias is ‘a time of reflection, mourning and solidarity with God, and we with our Sabeel have shown our support’.

Observers and activists applaud the initiative, explaining that sharing the journey and the period of mourning is a wonderful gesture of unity on the part of Christians, in a spirit of harmony and cooperation in a region not infrequently the scene of ethnic-confessional violence.

Kashif Anthony, Ccide coordinator, kicked off the ‘Sabeel’ together with Fr Amir Bhatti, Fr Sunil Sarfraz, Sr Fazilat and Samantha Rodrigues, president of the Catholic Women's Guild. Kashif commended those present for joining and collaborating in distributing cool drinks to members of the Dawood Bohra community, a gesture reciprocated by ‘men, women and children who thanked the Catholic community of St. Patrick for this kind gesture’ for Ashura.

Meanwhile, the annual interfaith caravan of the Rwadari Tehreek Pakistan reached Karabla Gamay Shah, one of the oldest Imam Bargah (ritual halls) in Lahore. The date was no coincidence, as the month of Muharram was chosen precisely to express closeness and convey a message of peace in response to the confessional tensions that have bloodied the nation in recent decades.

The Rwadari Peace Caravan is part of Rwadari Tehreek's peace campaign for Muharram, which also includes social media interventions and other initiatives to urge citizens to counter sectarian hate speech and promote harmony. This campaign also aims to urge the government, state institutions and other stakeholders to be vigilant and adopt a zero tolerance policy against hate speech and incitement to violence.

Rwadari Tehreek President Samson Salamat, speaking at the interfaith gathering, said that ‘maintaining a tension-free and peaceful environment should be our priority’. He added that ‘each of us, and all stakeholders, should fulfil their responsibilities without any negligence’.

Throughout the various speeches, the speakers unanimously called on ‘the Government and institutions responsible for maintaining peace and security’ to exercise ‘zero tolerance’ towards hate speech and incitement to sectarian violence. For a prosperous and peaceful nation, they concluded, it is necessary to ensure ‘foolproof security for all religious gatherings and processions during the 10th of Moharram’.