Shafaq News – Karbala

Local authorities in Karbala are enforcing religious norms ahead of the New Year, including restrictions on public celebrations and music, a senior provincial official said on Saturday.

Majda Al-Ardawi, head of the Religious Endowments and Religious Affairs Committee in the Karbala Provincial Council, told Shafaq News that “inappropriate celebratory activities” had been limited and were mostly carried out by visitors from outside the province.

Residents, she said, typically spend New Year’s Eve visiting shops, malls, and restaurants without organized festivities, adding that behavior such as loud music in cars or shopping centers was considered inappropriate, even by general social standards.

Local authorities take measures each year ahead of the New Year to preserve Karbala’s religious character while allowing residents to go about their daily lives, she explained.

Karbala operates under local regulations commonly referred to as the city’s “Sanctity Law,” which was proposed by the provincial council in 2012 and implemented in 2017.

Read more: The Shadow of the Sanctity Law falls over Karbala's New Year's eve

The rules have repeatedly sparked controversy. In 2019, the opening ceremony of the West Asia Football Federation Championship at Karbala International Stadium, which featured musical performances by women, drew criticism from senior politicians and religious authorities, including former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. Iraq’s Shiite Endowment later condemned the event as a violation of the city’s sanctity.

Karbala is Iraq’s most prominent destination for religious tourism, home to the shrines of the third Shiite Imam Hussein and his brother Al-Abbas. Millions of pilgrims visit the city each year, including during the Arbaeen commemoration, a major Shia pilgrimage commemorating the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein at the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.

Read more: Iraq between music, traditions, and law: Who sets the rhythm of public life?