This is unbelievably powerful. A 20 million annual peaceful mass march through war-torn Iraq, in defiance of the sectarian divisions that are tearing the country apart, as this Shia pilgrimage is joined by Sunnis, Christians and Hindus alike. It also shows the bravery of the people in the region, who have by far been the most frequent target for terrorist attacks in the entire world, with over 50.000 casualties and many, many more wounded over the course of the last 8 years, in a country with one-tenth of the US population. Videos have been posted online showing how a suicide bomber blows himself up in the midst of the pilgrims, only to have the crowds turn out in even greater numbers, chanting in unison: If they sever our legs and hands, We shall crawl to the Holy Lands! It makes you reflect on the utter cowardice of the majority of the Western population, who have butchered innocent Muslims by the hundreds of thousands in response to the 3000 deaths on 9/11, who have sacrificed their freedoms and their constitution on the altar by being so easily manipulated into blind fear. But this event also puts to shame the many Western nations that let their poor suffer through different degrees of hunger while even the middle class live as kings compared to both other countries and time-periods. In the US, we are talking about 15% of the population ers.usda.gov/media/884525/err141.pdf, in the egalitarian Netherlands, we are talking about 450.000 people: voedselbankennederland.nl/nl/nieuws/36/nieuws/honger-in-nederland-de-feiten-gecheckt.html And when you try to feed the poor here, you get arrested: theguardian/us-news/2014/nov/05/fort-lauderdale-pastors-arnold-abbott-arrested-feeding-homeless In contrast, during the Iraqi pilgrimage, Mawkeb organizers intercept the pilgrims path to plead with them to accept their offerings, which often includes a full suite of services fit for kings: first you can get a foot massage, then you are offered a delicious hot meal, then you are invited to rest while your clothes are washed, ironed, then returned to you after a nap. All complimentary, of course. For some perspective, consider this: In the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, and with worldwide sympathy and support, the UN World Food Programme announced delivery of half a million meals at the height of its relief efforts.. The United States military, launched Operation Unified Response, bringing together the massive resources of various federal agencies and announced that within five months of the humanitarian catastrophe, 4.9 million meals had been delivered to Haitians. Now compare that with over 50 million meals per day during Arbaeen, equating to about 700 million meals for the duration of the pilgrimage, all financed not by the United Nations or international charities, but by poor laborers and farmers who starve to feed the pilgrims and save up all year round so that visitors are satisfied. Everything, including security is provided mostly by volunteer fighters who have one eye on Daesh, and another on protecting the pilgrims path. To know what Islam teaches, says one Mawkeb organizer, dont look at the actions of a few hundred barbaric terrorists, but the selfless sacrifices exhibited by millions of Arbaeen pilgrims. In fact, Arbaeen should be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in several categories: biggest annual gathering, longest continuous dining table, largest number of people fed for free, largest group of volunteers serving a single event, all under the imminent threat of suicide bombings. So let us be humbled for a moment, by the peaceful, uniting and loving power of Islam, and the enormous resilience and bravery of the people of Iraq.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 13:33:56 +0000
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