Iraq's Shi'ites Observe Ashura
![Shi'ite worshippers enter the holy shrine of Imam Abbas, brother of Imam Hussein, during Muharram in Karbala, Iraq, Nov. 12, 2013.](https://gdb.voanews.com/cbfe113a-cc97-46b6-8708-e447f6fff0bc_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Shi'ite worshippers enter the holy shrine of Imam Abbas, brother of Imam Hussein, during Muharram in Karbala, Iraq, Nov. 12, 2013.
![A Shi'ite Muslim man gashes his forehead with a sword before the religious festival of Ashura in Najaf, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2013.](https://gdb.voanews.com/c66e60d7-a51a-4c3e-ac57-861e98e51655_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A Shi'ite Muslim man gashes his forehead with a sword before the religious festival of Ashura in Najaf, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2013.
![Shi'ite pilgrims beat themselves with iron chains as they take part in the Ashura procession in Karbala, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2013.](https://gdb.voanews.com/ece4876a-2971-4854-ad9a-a00c1c02177c_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Shi'ite pilgrims beat themselves with iron chains as they take part in the Ashura procession in Karbala, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2013.