“Mohsen Alviri”: Jews and Christians Show Great Interest in Imam Hussein Mourning Ceremonies
Hojjat-ol-Islam wa al-Moslemin Mohsen Alviri spoke about the interest of Jews and Christians in the mourning ceremonies of Imam Hussein on the eve of Ashura.
Hojjat-ol-Islam wa al-Moslemin Mohsen Alviri, director of the History Department at Baqir al-Olum University and editor-in-chief of the scientific-research journal “History of Islam,” provided explanations regarding the interfaith function of Ashura to a reporter, which are read below.
In response to the question of whether “Ashura has an interfaith function,” he said: “Ashura and Ashura culture, from several perspectives, have shared teachings with other Abrahamic religions or similar cultures to them. Beyond the similarity of the main teachings of Islam with other Abrahamic religions, six topics about Ashura can be considered from an interfaith approach, and by relying on them, convergence among followers of Abrahamic religions can be strengthened.”
Mohsen Alviri, while introducing Hussein ibn Ali as the heir of Moses (Kalim Allah) and Jesus (Ruh Allah), added: “In certain sections of some visitation prayers, particularly the Ziyarat al-Warith, Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) is introduced as the heir of all prophets, two of whom are Prophet Moses and Prophet Jesus, namely the prophets of Jews and Christians. In another place, that Imam is also introduced as the heir of the Torah, Gospel, and Psalms. When Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) is introduced as the heir of the prophets of these two great heavenly religions and the heir of their heavenly books, the role of that Imam as a model among followers of other religions expands, and a very great capacity emerges for convergence between followers of these religions and followers of the Ahl al-Bayt school.”
The presentation of these statements by Mohsen Alviri and the introduction of Hussein ibn Ali as the heir of Moses and Jesus comes at a time when many Christians and Jews in Iran have been severely harassed and abused, and even face heavy prison sentences and financial penalties.
Regarding the influence of aspects of Shiite mourning traditions from Christian mourning, he continued his remarks and said: “From a historical perspective, when we acknowledge that traditions such as mourning that result in wounding the body or shedding blood from the body have entered the Islamic world from Christian mourning traditions, we can, while warning about the mixing of Islamic culture with undesirable traditions, use this matter as a suggestion and foundation for future intercultural relations and find a way for mutual influence on Christians.”
Mohsen Alviri considered analyses of Ashura ceremonies equivalent to the sufferings of Jesus Christ and his crucifixion, and added: “Some of the perspectives and common analyses among us regarding Ashura and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) have similarities with some theological perspectives of some Christians regarding the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him). Apart from our belief about the non-martyrdom of Jesus (peace be upon him) and apart from whether these perspectives are correct or incorrect in Shiite circles, discussion of concepts such as sacred suffering, sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, and the union of the blood of God’s servant with the blood of God, can be the foundation for interfaith dialogues.”
His remarks about the shedding of blood in mourning ceremonies and its entry from Christianity into the Islamic world come at a time when the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for the forgiveness of humanity’s sins, not for carrying out the tradition of mourning ceremonies, and in this category there is a significant difference between the shedding of Jesus Christ’s blood for the forgiveness of sins and the shedding of blood for the purpose of carrying out the tradition of mourning ceremonies on the day of Ashura. Among the notable differences in holding such ceremonies is that Christians have not wounded themselves and do not shed their blood for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, because, as Mohsen Alviri made a brief reference to in his remarks, Christians believe that Jesus Christ shed his blood for the forgiveness of humanity’s sins so that whoever believes in him will have his sins forgiven and will have eternal life; but in the tradition of holding Ashura mourning ceremonies, Muslims wound themselves and shed their blood to accompany the killing of Hussein ibn Ali in order to experience the suffering that he endured, not the forgiveness of their sins.
He continued regarding the reflection of Ashura in Christian literature: “One of the other areas of interfaith interaction is the devotion and affection of followers of other religions, particularly Christians, toward Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) in the form of their writings and poems. The collection that Mr. Zayeri gathered in the book ‘Father, Son, Holy Spirit’ is a good example in this regard. Completion of such studies and research in the first stage will lead to the convergence of elites and then the convergence of the masses. In areas where followers of other religions live in peaceful coexistence with Shiites, there is, almost without exception, great interest and indeed fascination in attending the mourning ceremonies of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and helping to hold them (such as providing hospitality for mourners and participating in expenses) or performing ceremonies similar to Shiite ceremonies (such as establishing chest-beating processions or visiting the shrine of Syed al-Shuhada). This phenomenon is even observed among followers of non-heavenly religions such as Hindus in Shiite-populated cities in India (such as Lucknow). This matter also has an interfaith function and clearly shows how Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) is a shared divine resource for bringing together all believers, and recording memories and numerous experiences related to this matter can help foster sympathy among followers of heavenly religions with Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) at the center.”
Given that in recent years many Iranians have left Islam and converted to Christianity, the Islamic Republic of Iran government has implemented severe restrictions against Christians and in many cases has arrested, detained, tortured, executed, imprisoned for long periods, confiscated their property, and so on.
On many occasions, we have also witnessed the harassment and abuse of Jews, such as attacks on the tomb of Mordecai and Esther and burning it, as well as employment prohibitions and even in some cases prohibition from education. However, for holding ceremonies such as presidential elections, parliamentary elections, holding Ashura ceremonies and other Islamic traditions, the Islamic Republic government has extended a hand of friendship toward Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians and seeks their assistance so that it can present itself to the world as a government that has been friendly with all religions and has no problems with them. But is the Islamic Republic government’s display in such occasions credible?
