🏴 Husayni Mourning Around the World – 2026

🌐 81. Turkey:

Ashura International Foundation / Husayni Mourning News:

The Sham-e Ghariban (Evening of the Strangers) ceremony was held at the Zeynebiye Mosque and Cultural Center (Zeynebiye Camii ve Kültür Merkezi) with the enthusiastic presence of the devotees of the AhlulBayt (a.s.). At this ritual, Hojat al-Islam wal-Muslimin Sheikh Salahuddin Özgündüz, Hojat al-Islam wal-Muslimin Sayyed Sajjad Hussaini, the head of the Supreme Council of Scholars of CABİR, and Ahmet Turgut, a writer and screenwriter, delivered speeches on the messages of Ashura, Lady Zaynab’s (s.a.) mission, and the significance of Islamic ummah unity.

Prior to the start of the session, Hasan Babur, the head of “Caferi-Der” (CAFERİDER), expressing gratitude for the participation of mourners and the organizers of the first ten days of Muharram, praised the widespread presence of the people and the efforts of the ceremony’s servants, and described Imam Husayn (a.s.) as the shared capital of all Muslims and the free people of the world.

Ahmet Turgut, in his remarks emphasizing that Ashura is not the end of the Karbala event but rather the beginning of its school of thought, stated: To understand Karbala, one must recognize two stages; before Ashura, which gains meaning through Imam Husayn’s (a.s.) uprising, and after Ashura, which continues with Lady Zaynab’s (s.a.) mission. He described Lady Zaynab (s.a.) as the true messenger of Karbala and added: She, with her eloquence and powerful speech, accomplished what the Zulfiqar sword could not achieve in Syria (Sham), demonstrating that sometimes the power of words is more effective than the power of the sword.

Following him, Sayyed Sajjad Hussaini, the head of the Supreme Council of Scholars of CABİR, described Sham-e Ghariban as the “night of the strangeness of the AhlulBayt (a.s.)” and, citing the Hadith of Thaqalayn, emphasized the inseparability of the Quran and the AhlulBayt (a.s.). He identified the root of the ummah’s deviation as distancing itself from these two divine trusts and prayed to God to grant the faithful the insight to distinguish the path of truth from the path of hypocrisy.

Subsequently, Sheikh Salahuddin Özgündüz, sending salutations to Lady Zaynab (s.a.) and the other captives of Karbala, expressed gratitude for the people’s presence and participation in the mourning ceremonies and stated: The unity of the Islamic ummah is the most important principle, and the proper transmission of the message of the Ashura uprising to future generations is the same mission that was placed upon Lady Zaynab’s (s.a.) shoulders after Karbala.

Following the speeches, the attendees engaged in mourning and lamentation, with elegy recitation by the eulogist of the AhlulBayt (a.s.).