Over twenty million people marched in the name of peace and hospitality.

Tomorrow marks Arbaeen, one of the most important and significant celebrations in the Shiite Islamic world. In Arabic, Arbaean It means "forty" and marks the conclusion of the forty days of mourning for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), killed in Karbala (in present-day Iraq) in the 7th century. But Arbaeen is not just a commemoration of the past: it is an immense contemporary "lifeworld," a phenomenon made of faith, grassroots social dynamics, and incredible vitality.

The origins: identity and resistance The visit (or Ziyarat) to the tomb of Imam Hussein in Karbala has always represented the pinnacle of spiritual practice for Shiites. Towards the end of the era of the Imams, to preserve the community's identity in difficult times, distinctive signs were established for true believers. Among these, the eleventh Imam, Hasan al-Askari, included participation in the Arbaeen pilgrimage.

This recommendation was not merely a superficial gesture, but a reminder to keep Imam Hussein's message alive: the pursuit of justice, the rejection of tyranny, and consistency in daily life. It is thanks to this deep rootedness that the pilgrimage has survived decades of bans and repression, as occurred during Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime.

The experience lived and the incredible culture of hospitality Today, in the days leading up to Arbaeen, along the roads leading to Karbala, one witnesses something unique. Welcoming pilgrims is not a duty, but a priceless honor. The local population competes to serve travelers by setting up tents. Mawkib, temporary reception facilities that offer all types of services – from food to rest, to medical care – to over twenty million people on the move.

For five days of marching, no one goes hungry or thirsty. This ecosystem of generosity is set up in a few weeks, but is funded spontaneously by ordinary people throughout the year. The motto of the last decade is emblematic: “Hubb al-Hussein yajma'una” (Love for Hussein unites us.) This unity transcends all borders: today, Iraq is peacefully hosting over three million Iranians for the event, erasing every trace of the wounds of the war that divided the two countries in the past.

Why is there so little talk about it in the West? Despite its size and spirituality comparable to major events in the Catholic world, Arbaeen is almost absent from European media. This Western "blindness" is due to several factors. First, media barriers: the Western narrative on the Middle East focuses almost exclusively on "crises" and "conflicts." A peaceful event founded on unconditional hospitality struggles to gain coverage.

Then there's an academic gap: classical Orientalism studies historical texts, but Arbaeen is "living theology." Finally, a true cultural translation is missing. To present Arbaeen to a European (and Italian) audience, it's not enough to use internal Shiite symbolism; it's necessary to employ universal concepts like the "classless society of pilgrims" or the experience of the sacred in the modern world.

Building new cultural bridges Italy, the cradle of historic routes like the Via Francigena and home to enormous universal religious gatherings like the Jubilee in Rome, holds all the keys to understanding this phenomenon. Reading Arbaeen in dialogue with the great traditions of European pilgrimage, analyzing the figure of the pilgrim through comparative theology, or documenting the art and oral culture of the Mawkib, represents an extraordinary opportunity. Only by moving beyond political slogans and into the realm of ethnography and spirituality can the West finally discover the beauty of this inexhaustible path to peace.

Sayyed Majid Emami