US president sends Ashura greetings to Muslim world

By Merve Berker

ANKARA (AA) – US President Joe Biden on Saturday sent greetings to the Muslim world in honor of the day of Ashura.

In a tweet, he said he and first lady Jill Biden “recognize our Muslim friends and neighbors around the world observing Ashura and honoring the values of sacrifice, justice, and equality for all."

The 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram, also known as Ashura, marks the anniversary of the passing of the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Imam al-Hussein on the desert plains of Karbala, some 113 kilometers (70 miles) away from where Iraq's capital Baghdad now stands.

On that day in year 61 of the Islamic calendar, Al-Hussein, along with 72 loyal companions, was killed in the infamous Battle of Karbala by the forces of Umayyad Caliph Yazid I.