“Mohsen Alviri”: Jews and Christians Have Great Interest in Imam Hussein’s Mourning Ceremonies
Hojjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Mohsen Alviri, on the eve of Ashura, spoke about the interest of Jews and Christians in the mourning ceremonies of Imam Hussein.
Hojjat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin Mohsen Alviri, head of the History Department at Baghreroloom University and editor-in-chief of the scientific-research quarterly journal “History of Islam,” provided clarifications to a reporter regarding the interfaith function of Ashura, which are read below.
Responding to the question of whether “Ashura has an interfaith function,” he said: “Ashura and Ashura culture, from several aspects, have shared teachings with other Abrahamic religions or cultures similar to them. Beyond the similarity of Islam’s core teachings with other Abrahamic religions, six topics regarding Ashura can be considered from an interfaith perspective, 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 (God’s Word) and Jesus (God’s Spirit), added: “In passages of certain pilgrimage prayers, particularly the Ziarah of the Heir, 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, the Gospel, and the 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 scriptures, the role of that Imam as a model among followers of other religions expands, and a very large capacity for convergence of followers of these religions with followers of the Ahl al-Bayt school emerges.”
The delivery of these remarks 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 even face heavy prison sentences and financial penalties.
Regarding the influence of certain Shi’ite mourning traditions on Christian mourning practices, he continued his remarks and said: “From a historical perspective, when we acknowledge that traditions such as mourning practices that lead to wounding the body or shedding blood from the body may have entered the Islamic world from Christian mourning traditions, we can, while warning about the mixing of Islamic culture with undesirable traditions, utilize this topic as a proposal and foundation for future intercultural relations and find a way for mutual influence on Christians.”
Mohsen Alviri considered analyses of Ashura ceremonies similar to the sufferings of Jesus Christ and his crucifixion, and added: “Some common views and analyses among us regarding Ashura and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) have similarities with some theological views among some Christians regarding the crucifixion of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him). Regardless of our belief that Jesus (peace be upon him) was not martyred, and regardless of whether such views are correct or incorrect in Shi’ite circles, discussions about concepts such as sacred suffering, sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, and the unity of the blood of God’s servant with God’s blood can be the basis for interfaith dialogues.”
His remarks about the shedding of blood during 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 the implementation of mourning ceremony traditions. 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 implementation of mourning ceremony traditions on the day of Ashura. Among the significant differences in the holding of such ceremonies is that Christians, in response to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, do not wound themselves and do not shed their blood 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 eternal life; but in the tradition of holding Ashura mourning ceremonies, Muslims wound themselves and shed their blood in accompaniment with the killing of Hussein ibn Ali to experience the suffering that he endured, not the forgiveness of their sins.
He continued regarding the reflection of Ashura in Christian literature: “Another field of interfaith interaction is the devotion and infatuation of followers of other religions, especially Christians, with Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) in the form of love letters and poems. The collection that Mr. Zaeri gathered in the book ‘Father, Son, Holy Spirit’ is a good example in this field. The continuation of such studies and research in the initial stage will lead to the convergence of elites and subsequently the convergence of the masses. In areas where followers of other religions coexist peacefully with Shi’ites, almost without exception, there is great interest and indeed fascination in attending the mourning ceremonies of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and assisting in their organization (such as hosting mourners and participating in expenses) or performing ceremonies similar to Shi’ite ceremonies (such as organizing chest-beating processions or visiting the pure tomb of the Master of Martyrs). This phenomenon is even observed among followers of non-Abrahamic religions such as Hindus in Shi’ite cities in India (such as Lucknow). This topic also has an interfaith function and clearly demonstrates how Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) is a shared divine capital for the gathering of all believers, and recording the extensive memories and experiences related to this topic can assist in the sympathy of followers of Abrahamic religions centered on Imam Hussein (peace be upon him).”
Given that in recent years many people in Iran have left Islam and converted to Christianity, the Islamic Republic of Iran government has implemented severe strictures against Christians and in many cases has arrested, detained, tortured, executed, imposed long-term imprisonment, and confiscated their assets.
On many occasions, we have also witnessed the harassment and persecution of Jews, such as attacks on the tomb of Mordechai and Esther and burning it, as well as employment prohibitions and even in some cases bans on education. However, for holding ceremonies such as presidential elections, parliamentary elections, organizing Ashura ceremonies, and other Islamic traditions, the Islamic Republic government has extended a hand of friendship to Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians and seeks their assistance so that it can present itself in the eyes of the world as a government that has been friendly with all religions and has no problems with them. But is the display of the Islamic Republic government credible in such circumstances?
