🏴 Husayni Mourning Around the World

🌐 Malaysia:

Ashura International Foundation / Husayni Mourning News – September 27, 2023:

Malaysia is located in Southeast Asia and geographically consists of two completely separate parts. Peninsular Malaysia, or West Malaysia, is situated on the Malay Peninsula, bordering Thailand to the north and connected to Singapore via the Johor causeway to the south. Its eastern part comprises the states of Sarawak and Sabah, located in the southern part of Borneo, known as East Malaysia. The South China Sea, at a distance of 640 kilometers, separates these two parts.

Malaysia is an Islamic country with a population of approximately 31 million, over 60% of whom are Muslims. Other religions in Malaysia include Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity. The majority of Malaysian Muslims follow the Shafi’i school, and approximately two percent of the country’s Muslim population are Shiites. Unfortunately, despite historically good relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, followers of Shiism in some regions of the country suffer from social, cultural, religious, and political discrimination.

Malaysian Shiites, every year alongside other Shiites of the world, honor Muharram by holding mourning ceremonies for Imam Husayn (a.s.) from the beginning of this month. Words such as “Azadari” (mourning), “Majlis-e Aza” (mourning gathering), and even “Azay-e Husayn” (mourning for Husayn) are common among these people. Typically, mourning ceremonies, including elegy recitation and speeches, are held in a place called a Husayniyyah. During Muharram, native Muslims and immigrants gather in Kuala Lumpur and hold magnificent mourning ceremonies. The history of Shiite presence in Malaysia dates back to the first encounters of native Malay people with Muslim immigrant communities from the 5th century AH onward, when the main religions of the region were Hinduism and Buddhism, and the language was Sanskrit.

The presence of Shiites in Malaysia has generally occurred in several historical stages, the most important of which is the migration of Alawi Sayyid families from Yemen to Malaysia. Another group of Malaysian Shiites consists of Indian, Pakistani, Afghan, and Bangladeshi immigrants who were brought to the region as labor forces during the British colonial period and have maintained their faith over the years, performing religious rites according to Shiite teachings.

Votive Offerings During Muharram

In Malaysia, like other Islamic countries, making vows and distributing votive offerings (Nazr) during Muharram, especially on Tasu’a and Ashura, is very common. One of the most important votive offerings of Muharram in Malaysia is stuffed rice pudding.

Malaysians prepare rice pudding with rice, milk, and sugar, and decorate it with a generous amount of almonds, walnuts, raisins, hazelnuts, peanuts, some pomegranate seeds, coconut powder, cinnamon, and pistachio powder before serving. This highly caloric and nutritious food is typically distributed at noon on Ashura. Rice flour halva is also another common votive offering in Malaysia.