To mark the beginning of the sacred month of Muharram, the University of Basrah began holding ceremonies to raise the Husseini banner in the complex of Bab Al-Zubair colleges in commemoration and in remembrance of the martyrdom of Abi Abdullah Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) and his companions in the painful incident of Al-Taf with the participation of a delegation from Imam Hussain and Imam Abbas Holy Shrines. A large gathering of teachers, staff, university students, scouts teams and the choir attended this ceremony.
The banner raising ceremony included speeches and poems expressing sincerity of loyalty to the Husseini cause, and the handing over of the Husseini flag coming from the shrine of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) by the representative of the Shrine delegation Sheikh Rashid Al-Waeli to the President of Basrah University Professor Dr. Saad Shaheen Hammadi to be raised on the university grounds.
Regarding the atmosphere of raising the flag, the university president, Prof. Dr. Saad Shaheen Hammadi, said, “The holy month of Muharram began, and every year, the University of Basrah used to receive the Hussaini banner coming from the holy land of Karbala. We are on the first day of Muharram we raise the flag and hold this assembly and ceremonies in remembrance of Abu Abdullah Al-Hussein”.
Shaheen added - We must hurry to board the ship of freedom and salvation, and transcend selfishness, domination and self-love, and be inspired during the month of Muharram and Safar is the lesson, and we exalt all the qualities of altruism and self-sacrifice to help our societies advance their reality.
While the official of the Religious Schools Division of the Imam Hussein Holy Shrine, Sheikh Ali Al-Qar’awi, said, “Here we confirm on this day and through these blessed decrees that raising the banner of Al-Hussain, peace be upon him, in these scientific monuments, we are proud of their rooting, deepening and serving them, and from your platform I seize the opportunity to announce the imminent launch of the (Badira) competition to encourage youth volunteer teams affiliated with civil society organizations in Basra, which is summed up in supporting the humanitarian and charitable initiatives that characterized these teams and that positively affected the continuation of the work of favor and the provision of goodness and peace to the people of the community. The General Secretariat of the Imam Hussain Holy Shrine has allocated large financial prizes for the three teams that will win the competition, and the conditions for participation in it will be announced soon.
