Shafaq News/ The Representative of Ayatollah Ali Sistani,  Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai, called Iraqis on the mark of the first day of Muharram; he said, "Imam Hussein wants us to keep clans away from the fighting, and Karbala wants us to revive the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice ."

"Imam Hussein wants us to confront the cultural invasion that targets our identity and stay away from discrimination and fighting for life interests."

 Addressing the clans, al-Karbalai added, "Preserve your unity and live in peace and harmony."

Muharram is the first month of the Hijri calendar and one of the four Haram months in Islam.

For Shia, this month is a significant religious event to commemorate the martyrdom of Husayn Ibn Ali al-Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. He died at the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.

Every year since then, many Shia mark Ashura by performing a pilgrimage to Imam al-Hussein's mausoleum, which is traditionally held in his tomb in Karbala.