IRAN: THE MEANING OF MOHARRAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00634A000500010011-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 1, 2004
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: November 29, 1978
• Content Type: IM

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
NATIONAL FOREIGN ASSESSMENT CENTER
29 November 1978
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
IRAN: THE MEANING OF MOHARRAM
The Muslim month of mourning in Iran, Moharram (2-30
December), is likely to pose a critical test for the Shah
and the military government. Moharram, the first month of
the Islamic year, commemorates the death in the seventh
century A.D. of one of Shia Islam's most revered founders.
The emotion evoked yearly by that 1300-year-old event is
unmatched in the Islamic world. In Iran the ceremonies
connected with Moharram have often been used to express
political opposition.
The Background
On October 1, 680 A.D. which was the first day of the
month of Moharram and 46 years after the death of Mohammad,
two Arab Moslem armies faced each other on the west bank of
the Euphrates River at the plain called Kerbala south of
present day Baghdad. The two forces were poorly matched.
On the one side were 4,000 men of the forces of Yazid, Caliph
of Islam in Damascus, and on the other some two hundred fol-
lowers (in Arabic, Shia) of Hossein, grandson of Mohammad,
who disputed Yazid's claim to be Caliph and considered him-
self the rightful successor of the Prophet.
This memorandum was prepared by the Iran Analytical
Center of the Office of Regional and Political Analysis.
Questions and comments may be addressed to 25X1
25X1
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Hossein was surrounded and for ten days occasional
skirmishes alternated with periods of negotiation. On the
tenth day Yazid's forces opened an all-out attack and the
battle went on until late in the afternoon. Finally, with
all his followers dead, Hossein dashed into the midst of
his enemies. The final blow was dealt by Shimar, according
to Shia tradition, which also records that Hossein's body
bore 23 spear wounds and thirty-four from swords. Hossein's
head was cut off and his body trampled in the dust by Yazid's
horsemen. The Shia believe that the head which was initially
sent to Yazid, subsequently was returned to Kerbala and is
buried there in Hossein's shrine.
This event - the Tragedy at Kerbala the Shiites call
it - is at the center of the Moharram mourning period and
for centuries the yearly re-enactment of the death of Hossein
at the hands of Yazid (although he was not present) and Shimar
has aroused intense emotion among all classes throughout the
country. The occasion has often been used to voice veiled
political comment, and a sermon by Ayatollah Khomeini in
which he explicitly compared the Shah to the tyrant Yazid,
was a major factor in the Ayatollah's exile.
The Ceremonies
The mourning ceremonies occur in several forms: recita-
tions of the story of Hossein in the mosque combined with a
sermon, recitations in private homes, dramatic presentations
in public, and parades. Whatever the form the intention is
always the same - to incite the participants to a frenzy of
weeping and wailing through flagellations and beatings, and
if these tears are mingled with blood, the participants gain
even greater merit.
Descriptions of actual occurrences best give a feel for
the occasion. In Tehran as many as 3,000 worshippers, mostly
men, may be gathered in a large bazaar mosque. Around the
mosque for many blocks crowds are gathered so tightly that
movement is barely possible. Most of this crowd are paraders
who are just forming up or who have ended a parade at the
mosque.
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Inside the mosque several mullahs in succession preach
sermons on the Hossein theme. As each speaker reaches the
climax of the story, weeping and wailing increases. Finally,
the main speaker begins. He starts with a sermon dwelling
on the virtues and suffering of the family of Ali and then
begins the chanting of the Hossein narrative. Again, as
the story reaches its climax, the decapitation of Hossein,
the weeping and groaning increases in volume and many begin
to pound their foreheads and beat their chests. Finally,
the sermon ends and the crowd begins to subside. Some may
remain at the mosque all day listening to repetitions of
the narrative, others may join one of the many parades
which were being held and still others may go to other
mosques or private homes for further commemoration ceremonies.
The public parades which go on throughout the first 10
days of Moharram are basically the same whether they occur
in Tehran with thousands of participants or in a small vil-
lage with only a dozen.
The parades are arranged by a group specifically organ-
ized for that purpose and usually represent a district, a
neighborhood, or the members of a mosque. Often this group -
called a dasteh - meets year-round, not only to plan for the
ceremonies but also as a social-religious group that studies
the Koran, listens to recitations of the Hossein story and
discusses politics. A parade is often preceded by a meal
sponsored by someone in the district to which are invited the
members of the dasteh, prominent people and the poor. After
the meal the leader of the dasteh begins chanting a lament
in verse accompanied by rhythmical beating of the chest. The
parade then moves outside and through the streets preceded
and followed by black banners and stopping at each mosque
or shrine in the area. This may go on all day and far into
the night.
On Ashura, the tenth day of Moharram and the day on
which Hossein and his family were murdered, the major cere-
monies take place. The parades begin to form up at sunrise.
The breast beating resumes and the parade moves through the
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streets to a central square where several dastehs may be
gathered. All join in a final breast beating and then a
mullah seated on a raised platform recites the Hossein
story. Following this the symbols are brought out; black
and green standards and the centerpiece, the nakhl. This
is a sort of sedan chair but so large that 40 or 50 men may
be required to carry it on their shoulders. It represents
the vehicle in which Hossein and his relatives were carried
to the final battle at Kerbala. The bearers enter the
square at a trot, turning around on themselves twice as
they enter. They circle the assembled dastes three times
and then settle down on the fringes of the crowd. The com-
bined dastes form themselves into large circles and under
the leadership of a chanter in the center breast beating
again begins and the whole circle moves one step to the
right with each beat. Finally at a drum signal this part
of the ceremony ends and the depiction on stage of the
tragedy at Kerbala begins.
The drama which may go on for several hours recounts
a story which is well-known to all those watching but it
never fails to excite the most intense emotion. Although
ashura is the peak of the month such performances, as well
as other observances, continue for the whole month and may
be repeated forty days after Ashura as well.
Moharram parades once were marked not only by beating
the chest and forehead but also by flagellation and slashing
with knives. These practices were suppressed by the govern-
ment starting in 1928 but have occurred occasionally since
then. Given the present state of religious tension it
would not be surprising to see a resurgence of the more
bloody aspects of the traditional celebration.
The Political S mbolism
Although the Moharram events deal with an occurrence
13 centuries old, they frequently have been used as a vehicle
to attack whatever regime was in power, as well as to voice
CONFIDENTIAL
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anti-foreign sentiments. Various Shahs of the previous
dynasty were frequently attacked in this manner although
they themselves sponsored and encouraged the Moharram cele-
brations.
The government of the day is easily equated in the
popular mind with the government of Yazid and the whole
body of Persian Shiites are seen as embodied in Hossein.
Ayatollah Taleghani, currently one of the major National
Front leaders, preached a Moharram sermon in 1963 just be-
fore the riots broke out at that time. He quoted a pur-
ported speech by the Imam Hossein in which Hossein urged
the people to stand against an oppressive Shah by trying
"to change him either with advice or if this is not pos
sible, with power". From the phrasing and particularly
the direct quote from Hossein in the present tense there
was little doubt Taleghani was urging his audience to sup-
port the Shiite clergy against an oppressive government.
Although there are no current examples, the sermons
being preached today and that will be preached during the
month of Moharram are certainly following similar themes.
It is likely, however, that some of them are even more
explicit in calling for the Shah's downfall than has been
the case in the past. Certainly, however the exhortation
is phrased, many of the faithful will see themselves as
warriors for Hossein against the tyrant.
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