Qasr-e-Shirin, IRNA – Iran’s Police Chief Ahmad Reza Radan has hailed the huge presence of pilgrims in Arbaeen mourning ceremonies, which he said took place despite enemies’ efforts to discourage people from commemorating the religious event.
Radan said on Thursday that more than 4 million Iranians took pilgrimage to Iraq this year to take part in the ceremonies marking Arbaeen, the 40th day since the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shia imam, Imam Hossein (AS).
He said that the number is a record and Arbaeen was highly commemorated despite enemies’ propaganda campaign to discourage people from participating in the ceremonies.
The police chief made the comments at the Arbaeen media headquarters in Khosravi border point located in the town of Qasr-e-Shirin, Kermanshah province, in western Iran.
The Khosravi crossing is one of the border points used by pilgrims to enter Iraq. Several Iraqi cities are home to holy shrines of Shia imams, including the city of Karbala where Imam Hossein’s shrine is located.
