Tehran – Albain is unfamiliar to many outside the region. Often it is accompanied by a surprising image of a huge crowd walking towards Iraqi cities, scrolling through headlines about Western Asia.
These scenes are filled with people providing free food, water, medical aid, and places of rest, evoking a mix of surprise, curiosity and sometimes skepticism. To some, the scale and spirit seem almost incredible. But behind this enormous mobilization is a powerful social and political reality.
Abain, meaning “40” in Arabic, marks the 40th day after Ashura, the day that Imam Hussein Ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was martyred at the Battle of Karbara over 1400 years ago.
The pilgrimage commemorates the return of the battle survivors, especially the women and children of Hussein’s family, to mourn. Their return was both a ritual of sorrow and a rebellious act, and made sure that they did not forget the truth of Kalbara.
Throughout history, tyrants have sought to restrain this pilgrimage. During the time of Umayyad and Abbasid, pilgrims were forced to go underground and took the hidden forest route to avoid persecution. Under Saddam Hussein’s Baasist regime, Albain’s pilgrimage was violently oppressed, and pilgrims were arrested, tortured and killed. However, many people continued their secret journey.
Following Saddam’s collapse in 2003, Aaaain experienced a dramatic revival. Of the early 2-3 million pilgrims, the number increased rapidly. By 2013, official Iraq figures recorded 1.3 million foreign pilgrims among participants. In 2014, an estimated 20 million people attended, Urbion became the largest annual gathering on the planet, and is only second only to the obligatory and second-highest after the Hindu Kumbhmera, which was held once every three years.
Unlike Hajj, Aaaain is completely spontaneous. However, millions walk far to Kalbara, with the most popular route extending about 80 km from Najaf. The trip takes about three days to walk. Along the way, volunteers will provide food, shelter and medical care all free of charge. This generosity is a distinctive feature of Albain, a deep display of community solidarity.
Despite the revival of pilgrimage and unprecedented growth, it continues to face the power of imperialism and censorship from the mainstream media, particularly the power of imperialism.
Some coverage reveals efforts to frame Irvine as extremist or politically destructive, and undermine what has become a powerful symbol of unity, identity and resistance among Muslims around the world.
Aaaaain is more than a religious ritual, a way of dealing with grief and injustice. Anthropologists have long observed how collective rituals convey values, build solidarity and resist oppression. Arbaeen exemplifies this. It speaks to the patience of those who endured repeated efforts to erase their memories, faith and culture.
Arbaeen also has a deep political bottom. It symbolizes global imperialism and rebellion against colonialism. A power that has long been stripped of many Muslims of their sovereignty, freedom, and voice.
The US occupation of Iraq, similar to the Palestinian occupation of Israel, was linked to not only military power but cultural attacks.
For decades, Palestinian resistance was surrounded by Western media as synonymous with terrorism. Similarly, the identity and dignity of the Iraqi people was attacked by their portrayal of inhumanity. The deaths of more than 300,000 Iraqi civilians during the US war were largely ignored or justified, and the identity of Arab Muslims was reduced to caricatures: violent, irrational, fanatic.
This cultural conditioning helped to enable atrocities, uranium-based weapons, torture in Abu Ghraib, illegal detention in Guantanamo, and killing civilians by civilian military contractors.
Political leaders also did their part. Just as Israeli regime officials today call Gazan “human animals,” George W. Bush cast Muslims as enemies of American values, using a language that portrays them as irrational and inherently destructive.
These stories lay the foundations for systematic violence and continue to shape public opinion. In contrast, Arbaeen challenges these perceptions. Despite decades of war and underdevelopment in Muslim countries, many external interventions allow millions of people to work together to build independent pilgrimages. The extensive network of volunteers providing security, food, shelter, transportation and sanitation to over 20 million people will do so without reported casualties.
Importantly, the stereotypes of Muslim society that are oppressive for women are exposed along the Albain route. There are a large number of women, walking, volunteering and receiving equal hospitality. The dedicated space ensures comfort and safety. This contradicts the Western story of veiled women being excluded from public life.
Arbaeen also dismantles racial and ethnic barriers. While racial inequality continues to plague Western society, pilgrimage promotes a vision of unity that negates national, sect, and racial boundaries.
One powerful image photographs Nigerian clergy Sheikh Zazakhi in a tent hosted by Sunni Palestinian scholars surrounded by Muslims from around the world.
In today’s geopolitical landscape, where alliances like the Trump Netanyahu axis re-drawn boundaries and seek to restrain Muslim identity, Aaaain stands out as a powerful anti-force. It is a space where oppressed people can speak up. It is not only a memorial, but also a social and political statement of collective rebellion against alienation.
In recent years, participation has grown to an estimated 25 million pilgrims, travelling to Iraq and since then to Karbala. These millions of people recite the same slogan, pray with the same vision, and commit to a new commitment to a shared cause.
Arbaeen is an expression of resilience, a bold rejection of externally imposed stories. Regional and regional efforts to maintain and grow Arbaeen reflect its deep strategic importance. It must be protected not only as a religious event, but also as an important platform for resistance, solidarity and hope.
This year, as in 2024, Gaza was a central theme. The procession was carried placards, banners and chants calling for an end to occupation and oppression, condemning the ongoing war crimes of the Israeli regime.
In an increasingly divided and monitored world, Irvine offers something unusual. It is a public space where millions of people gather in peace and reaffirm their values, identities and resolve to resist injustice.