By Sahar Foladi
Thousands of Muslims walked united under one banner to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a.s) on Saturday 29 July in the 10th annual Ashura procession.
The Ashura gathering started from Treasury Garden in the CBD with sermons and group prayer before thousands poured onto the roads wearing black and waving flags in the air.
Organisations and communities from every background took part in the annual procession.
A religious leader and public officer of Rasul Akram Association based in Greater Dandenong, Hussain Rohani said Ashura is the triumph of justice through the sacrifice of Imam Hussain, his family and companions which made a small army of 72.
“Imam Hussain (a.s) stood against tyranny and injustice against the tyrant and corrupted ruler of that time, Yazid from the Umayyad caliphate.
“Renowned figures both past and present across the globe respect Imam Hussain and the day of Ashura such as, Mahatma Gandhi, the great English politician, historian and essayist Edward Gibbon and Charles Dickens.”
Abu Talib Community Centre in Hallam also took part in the procession, Sadiq Ali, one of the directors and president said it’s also a great union of communities all over Melbourne.
“Ashura is not just for us Hazara Muslims but all Muslims and non-Muslims from different backgrounds and languages whether Urdu, Persian and Arabic, everyone is welcomed.
Virtual reality headsets (VR) were also available at the event so people from all walks of lives could watch a snippet of the Battle of Karbala.
Sayed Mehdi Mosawi volunteer at Abu Talib Community Centre manages the VR program sessions.
“With the help of Abu Talib community, I brought this VR Karbala sessions to the community to make them see and feel the scene of Karbala 1400 years ago.
The program is brought by Musawi Films, Mr Mosawi’s YouTube channel and Facebook page operated by him individually.
“The last 10 days we’ve had different sessions in multiple different community organisations in the south-east and the west side as well.”
Currently, there’s six VR sets for everyone to share the experience with the hope of further improvements to the program.
“We’re in the process of an improved new production of visuals for the public which will released in one to two years’ time.
“Meanwhile, we will continue to make a widespread use of the VR,” Mr Mosawi said.
The procession ended in front of the Parliament House as Victoria Police expected anywhere between 3,000 to 5,000 attendees.
‘Alayhi Salam’ (a.s) followed by the names in the body translate to ‘Peace be upon him’ out of respect.
