Pilgrims defiant after Baghdad bombings
A multiple suicide bombing by three women failed to dampen the spirits of about one million people in Baghdad this week who flocked to a revered shrine in the north of the capital for the climax of a major religious event.
One of my reporters, Sarmad Ali, was among the streams of flag-waving pilgrims who visited the Khadamiya shrine barely 24 hours after the blasts, which left about 35 people dead and many more wounded.
This is what he saw as he took part in the procession to mark the death of Imam al-Kadham, one of Shia Islam’s 12 imams.
From early morning on Tuesday, buses ferried men, women and children from central Bagdad towards the shrine. Many other people chose to walk, passing through layer upon layer of check points as they approached their destination.
Women dressed in black wearing a badge that said ‘search committee’ frisked fellow females to reduce the chances of a repeat attack. Mobile phones were also taken off everyone as they entered the Khadamiya neighbourhood.
Sweltering under the midday sun, pilgrims were able to take shelter in one of many tents that lined the route, offering refreshments inside. Local people also sprayed visitors with water and perfume to help to cool them down.
An overall improvement in security in and around Baghdad enabled families living in former hotspot areas, such as Diyala province to the northeast of the capital and the town of Madaen to the southeast, to take part in the pilgrimage, some for the first time since the invasion.
Many of these people wept hard as they stood to pay their respect inside the shrine. Some carried photographs of relatives they had lost in the violence that consumed Iraq from 2003.
admin @ July 31, 2008