Two elderly women in Karbala keep Hussein service alive for 40 years

KARBALA, Iraq — Two women in their 80s in the Al-Qasim district of Karbala province have continued a religious service they began decades ago, hanging black flags and Hussein posters on their homes every Muharram. One of the women, Ummu Hamid, said she has passed the meaning of the Hussein service down to her children, daughters-in-law and grandchildren. "I will serve Ahl al-Bayt until my last breath," she said. Her neighbor, 80-year-old Hajj Ummu Casim, continues the same tradition with the help of her grandchildren, preparing black cloth and other materials for Hussein mourning processions. Despite their age, the two women buy flags, posters and black banners before Ashura Day and hang them on the walls of their homes. Their practice has also drawn neighbors into the service, according to the women. The two say they are handing the tradition down to their children and grandchildren, offering one example of how Muharram is observed at the household level in Iraq.