‘Ashura in Bahrain Analyses of an Analytical Event

Abstract

‘Ashura is an annual Shi‘i ritual commemorating the death of</br>Imam Husayn at the Battle of Karbala in ad 680. In Bahrain, the ritual</br>runs for two weeks and involves processions with more than 100,000</br>participants. Bahrain is a small but ethno-sectarian heterogeneous</br>island state, where a Sunni minority dominates a Shi‘i majority. The</br>religious ritual of ‘Ashura therefore has deep political connotations,</br>and a variety of analyses, aspirations, and actions are played out in</br>the context of the ceremonies. This article discusses ‘Ashura from the</br>various viewpoints of participants and observers, thereby raising the</br>question of the relationship between analysis and event. I argue that</br>the ritual itself includes an interpretation of the relationship between</br>the Sunni and Shi‘i sects, and that this leads to a variety of reflections</br>among Bahrainis on what ‘Ashura is and should be.