It is a bright summer day in central London. The sun is intense, yet people continue to arrive in small and large groups through the great archway of Marble Arch and gather around Hyde Park. Almost everyone is dressed in black. At first glance, it looks like a funeral. But this is something far more profound: an Ashura procession, a public expression of grief and remembrance by Shia Muslims commemorating the death of Imam Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at Karbala in present-day Iraq in 680 CE.

To read more visit London Daily Digital or click here.

To view images of Ashura & Arbaeen visit https://amirinia.com/ashura-arbaeen-selected-images/.