Muharram, particularly its first ten days, holds profound significance, commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD. This period, especially the day of Ashura, is marked by intense mourning and reflection on themes of sacrifice, justice, and resistance against tyranny. Muslims engage in various rituals such as Majlis (gatherings), reciting elegies to express grief and solidarity with Hussein’s suffering. The month of Muharram serves as a poignant reminder of the moral and spiritual principles Imam Hussein stood for and his ultimate sacrifice for the sake of Islam.
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Documentary Screening and Q&A: Two Kids A Day
Join us for an exclusive documentary screening of Two Kids A Day, followed by a conversation with producer, Mohamed Babai. This event is in collaboration with Brent Trades Council.
WHEN: Thursday, 18 July, 2024, 6.30pm BST
WHERE: IHRC Bookshop (202 Preston Road, Wembley, HA9 8PA)
Tickets: BOOK HERE – limited availability. Please read our refund policy below.
Agenda:
6.30pm: Registration
6.45pm: Introduction
6.50pm: documentary screening
8pm: Q&A
End time: 8.45pm
About the documentary:
On average, two Palestinian kids are arrested every night by the Israeli army. They are interrogated, tried, and sent to prison. Two Kids A Day describes the use of minors’ arrests to control and repress Palestinian society.
The film allows a one-time glimpse of video materials from the four children’s interrogations. Through the interrogations, the personal story of the children and their friendship is revealed, as well as the story of the refugee camp from which they come and the story of the Palestinian people struggling for independence.
Through the children’s stories, the film presents a broad picture of the method behind the arrests of minors in the West Bank. The purpose of this method is to “break” the popular uprising in the villages that oppose the occupation. The arrests of the children suppress the resistance. Each year, over 700 Palestinian minors are arrested throughout the West Bank. 95 percent of the minors arrested live within one kilometer of a settlement and there is a direct link between the minors’ detention and the IDF’s protection of the settlements.
Throughout the film, key characters from the system are interviewed. A soldier who took part in arrests, Former deputy division head in the Israeli security agency, a human rights lawyer and a former military prosecutor. They shed light on the method and its modes of action and turn the personal story of the four children into a much wider story.
About the producer:
Mohamed Babai was born in Jaffa, Palestine. He is a photojournalist and a film producer. As a photographer, Mohamed wanted to document the injustices that the Palestinian people face under occupation and continues with this work through film producing.
About the director:
The film is directed by David Wachsmann. David studied at the Sam Spiegel Film School in Jerusalem. In his films, David deals with social and political issues that motivate him to action. He creates out of a belief in the power of cinema to create even the slightest change of consciousness.
Support Palestine and NigeriaCurrently there are thousands of children, women and men suffering as the result of the violence of the Nigerian police and army. Members of the Islamic Movement have been routinely targeted, with over 1500 killed in the last three years alone. They have left behind dependents who are often destitute and shunned. Families are left without enough income for basic necessities like food and clothing, children lose out on education. Click ‘Donate to Nigeria’ below to support the people.
Furthermore, through our projects in Palestine (West Bank and Gaza), we work with trusted and experienced local partners to deliver programmes that provide Palestinians access to essential health services and food aid. We work throughout the year and respond as quickly as possible in times of humanitarian emergency. Click below to donate.
THROWBACK: Nigeria: The Zaria Massacres and the Role of the Military
Friday 25 July was a fateful day in Nigeria this year. One of the 50 plus nation-wide annual demonstrations in support of the Palestinians was brutally attacked by the Nigerian military. Some 33 people were killed, with some dying in custody. At least two more were killed the next day in a similar attack on the funeral preparations.’ This panel presents the report of IHRC’s fact-finding mission to Zaria, and presents eye-witness testimony and analysis from key people involved. As the report finds, there are serious systemic issues regarding the role of the military in Nigeria and the curtailment of basic rights.
Ibraheem Zakzaky was born on 5 May 1953 and is a Nigerian religious leader. An outspoken and prominent Shi’a leader in Nigeria, he has been imprisoned several times for his struggle against what he sees as injustice, especially the system of corruption in his country. Zakzaky is the primary figure and spiritual leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Africa’s most prominent Shi’a Muslim movement.
Below are recommended books on Muharram that are available at IHRC Bookshop:
Ashura Encyclopedic Dictionary: A Reference Guide to People, Places, Events, Concepts, and Rituals – Muhammad-Reza Fakhr-RohaniAshura is a day of mourning and grief in the calendar of all Shi’a Muslims around the globe. This significant milestone commemorates the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Husayn ibn Ali, at the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.
This is the first encyclopedic dictionary in English which defines both for laymen as well as scholars the names and concepts associated with this historic day and the events that happened before and after it. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand this epoch-making event which, to this day, continues to influence not only the Shi’a community but also other faith groups who venerate and idolise Husayn as the martyr who laid down his life to speak truth to power and as the heroic figure who redefined the paradigm of the struggle against tyranny and oppression.
Yasser and Zahra investigate what happened after Ashura
“Grandfather, what happened to the Ahlulbayt after Imam Husayn was killed?” Yasser asked. “What happened to his children, to Lady Zainab, to Imam Sajjad…?”
Zahra was not sure she wanted to know what had happened next. Grandfather’s face told her that it would be even sadder than what they had already witnessed last year. Yasser had a very different look on his face. He seemed to be bubbling with anticipation at the thought of investigating more.
They both watched Grandfather keenly, but for once he seemed hesitant to speak. “Yasser…Zahra… my dear children, the Ahlulbayt suffered terribly at the hands of some very evil people. If you take this journey, you must be prepared to witness many scenes that will change your lives forever. The atrocities the Ahlulbayt faced are beyond anything anyone has ever faced, but their courage, strength and unshakeable faith were also astonishing. Are you ready to see all that?”
Yasser and Zahra did not hesitate and nodded in unison.
They were ready. “In that case,” Grandfather said, “let me tell you a story…
The Blood of God – A Commentary on the Ziyarat of Ashura – Seyyed Mehdi Shojaei
Fourteen centuries ago on the plains of Karbala, the martyrdom of Husayn, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, his family members and his loyal companions took place. It was a calamity of such cosmic proportions that all other tragedies in human history pale in comparison to it. Since then, Husayn has remained an icon of resistance for all Muslims and even non-Muslims around the world in their fight against the oppressors of their times.
Even Mahatma Gandhi professed that he learned from Husayn how to resist colonialism. This book evokes the sad passages of that tragedy and explains why the bond between the lovers of Husayn and his legacy has gone from strength to strength in history to the point that in our time every year tens of millions from all over the world flock to his shrine to renew their pact with him and declare their disavowal of tyrants in any place or any era.
Seyyed Mehdi Shojaei has published over 100 works such as short stories, plays, novels, screenplays, satirical fiction and children’s stories. As a trailblazer in the field of modern religious literature, he has left his indelible imprint on contemporary Iranian culture.
Faith and Resistance: The Politics of Love and War in Lebanon – Sarah Marusek
What kind of decolonial possibilities exist in today’s world? Exploring the rise of Islamic activism in Lebanon and the Middle East, and drawing transnational parallels with other revolutionary religious struggles in Latin America and South Africa, Sarah Marusek offers a timely analysis of the social and political evolution of Islamic movements.
The growing popularity of Islamic movements means that many groups, which emerged in opposition to Western imperialism, are now also gaining increasing economic and political powers. Based on more than two and a half years of ethnographic fieldwork in Lebanon, Marusek paints a picture of how resistance is lived and reproduced in daily lives, tracing the evolution of the ideas and practices of the charities affiliated with Hizbullah and the wider Islamic resistance movement. Adopting a dialectical approach, Faith and Resistance discusses the possibility for resistance groups to reconcile acquiring power with their decolonial aspirations. In doing so, the book acts as a guide for liberation struggles and those engaged in resistance the world over.
The Shias of Pakistan: An Assertive and Beleagured Minority – Andreas Rieck
The Shias of Pakistan are the world’s second largest Shia community after that of Iran, but comprise only 10-15 per cent of Pakistan’s population. In recent decades Sunni extremists have increasingly targeted them with hate propaganda and terrorism, yet paradoxically Shias have always been fully integrated into all sections of political, professional and social life without suffering any discrimination. In mainstream politics, the Shia-Sunni divide has never been an issue in Pakistan.
Shia politicians in Pakistan have usually downplayed their religious beliefs, but there have always been individuals and groups who emphasised their Shia identity, and who zealously campaigned for equal rights for the Shias wherever and whenever they perceived these to be threatened. Shia ‘ulama’ have been at the forefront of communal activism in Pakistan since 1949, but Shia laymen also participated in such organisations, as they had in pre-partition India. Based mainly on Urdu sources, Rieck’s book examines, first, the history of Pakistan’s Shias, including their communal organisations, the growth of the Shia ‘ulama’ class, of religious schools and rivalry between ‘orthodox’ ‘ulama’ and popular preachers; second, the outcome of lobbying of successive Pakistan governments by Shia organisations; and third, the Shia-Sunni conflict, which is increasingly virulent due to the state’s failure to combat Sunni extremism.
The Fourteen Infallibles (Box set)
A series of short biographies about the the Prophet (saws), Sayyida Fatima and the 12 Imams (as).
From Medina To Karbala: In the Words of Imam Al Husayn – Ayatollah Muhammad-Sadiq Najmi
A complete collection of Imam al- Husayn’s discourses, both oral and written, from his first conversation with al-Walid b. ‘Utba, the governor of Medina and Marwan b. al-Hakam, to the last words to leave his blessed lips of the day of Ashura. Find out the truth of Imam al- Husayn’s mission in his own words With the original Arabic text, maps of Imam al-Husayn’s journey and a commentary on each discourse.
Hussain: Never To Humiliation – Mohammad Hamza, Jonathan Azaziah and Rana Ali Fakhreddine
Get ready for an epic journey through one of history’s most influential and enduring stories. With this graphic novel, you’ll witness the story of the Master of the Martyrs like never before.
The sacrifice of Imam Hussain and his family on the sands of Karbala is a tale of oppression and injustice, good versus evil, and the triumph of the revolutionary spirit. This book will profoundly impact readers as it revisits the tragedy that gathers millions to the same site each year. It is not just a phrase given to this book; it embodies it.
Echoed by every Imam in every epoch following the Muharram massacre is the eternal slogan, “Every day is Ashoura. Every land is Karbala.” Hussain lives on the front lines of the struggle against evil, no matter what mask it wears. The lovers of justice will always find strength in their cry: “Labaika ya Hussain.”
We also have artwork by Muhammed Hamza regarding Karbala:
Ya Hussain Imam Of Justice A3 Print
Part of the Intifada Street Journey of Love Exhibition.
A limited edition print in portrait. A certificate of authenticity from the artist will be forwarded with the purchase.
Delivery of print may take take 5-7 working days.
*Framed prints may be available on request. Please contact us if you would like a print framed. These will incur additional charges and make take longer for delivery.
Also available in:
A1 Print
A2 Print
Hussaini A3 PrintPart of the Intifada Street Journey of Love Exhibition.
A limited edition print in portrait. A certificate of authenticity from the artist will be forwarded with the purchase.
Delivery of print may take take 5-7 working days.
*Framed prints may be available on request.
Please contact us if you would like a print framed. These will incur additional charges and make take longer for delivery.
Also available in:
A1 Print
A2 Print
We Mourn A3 PrintPart of the Intifada Street Journey of Love Exhibition.
A limited edition print in landscape. A certificate of authenticity will be forwarded with the purchase.
Delivery of print may take take 5-7 working days.
*Framed prints may be available on request. Please contact us if you would like a print framed. These will incur additional charges and make take longer for delivery.
Also availablie in:
A1 Print
A2 Print
What Hussain Did (Pink Variant)
Part of the Intifada Street Journey of Love Exhibition.
A limited edition print in portrait. A certificate of authenticity from the artist will be forwarded with the purchase.
Delivery of print may take take 5-7 working days.
*Framed prints may be available on request. Please contact us if you would like a print framed. These will incur additional charges and make take longer for delivery.
The original white variant is also available at IHRC Bookshop.
