The sea of pilgrims moved toward the majestic Imam Kadhim mosque complex with its twin gilded domes and towering minarets. They came to mourn Imam Kadhim, the Shiite saint who died in 799 when, his followers say, the Islamic world's caliph, a Sunni, poisoned his food in prison. The pilgrims — women in black robes, and men in traditional dishdashas or simple T-shirts and sweatpants — marched long distances from all over Iraq to mourn his death. They covered their heads with T-shirts to protect themselves from the sun. Since the U.S.-led invasion, Shiite holidays have been marred by attacks by Sunni extremists and other tragedies. On Monday, three female suicide bombers struck pilgrims, killing 32 people and wounding 102 others. On the anniversary of Imam Kadhim's death in 2005, a stampede left nearly 1,000 dead when pilgrims panicked at the rumor of a suicide bomber on a bridge. On Tuesday, men and boys walked through the crowd, with tanks of water on their backs, to spray the perspiring crowd. Tents stood on the side of the road to shelter people from the heat. Inside, water, juice and tea were served. Some enterprising teenagers pushed exhausted women on carts since cars and motorcycles were banned. Packed trains ferried pilgrims from the city's main station to the outskirts of Kadhimiya. People dangled from the sides of the individual cars and sat on the roofs. Green and red banners of Islam adorned the neighborhood of Kadh ...
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The sea of pilgrims moved toward the majestic Imam Kadhim mosque complex with its twin gilded domes and towering minarets. They came to mourn Imam Kadhim, the Shiite saint who died in 799 when, his followers say, the Islamic world's caliph, a Sunni, poisoned his food in prison. The pilgrims — women in black robes, and men in traditional dishdashas or simple T-shirts and sweatpants — marched long distances from all over Iraq to mourn his death. They covered their heads with T-shirts to protect themselves from the sun. Since the U.S.-led invasion, Shiite holidays have been marred by attacks by Sunni extremists and other tragedies. On Monday, three female suicide bombers struck pilgrims, killing 32 people and wounding 102 others. On the anniversary of Imam Kadhim's death in 2005, a stampede left nearly 1,000 dead when pilgrims panicked at the rumor of a suicide bomber on a bridge. On Tuesday, men and boys walked through the crowd, with tanks of water on their backs, to spray the perspiring crowd. Tents stood on the side of the road to shelter people from the heat. Inside, water, juice and tea were served. Some enterprising teenagers pushed exhausted women on carts since cars and motorcycles were banned. Packed trains ferried pilgrims from the city's main station to the outskirts of Kadhimiya. People dangled from the sides of the individual cars and sat on the roofs. Green and red banners of Islam adorned the neighborhood of Kadh ...