Shiite Muslims worldwide commemorate Ashura, the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram, despite the current civil and political unrest and failed government formation efforts in Baghdad. Shiites dress in black and perform mourning rituals, and passion plays re-enacting the events of the battle of Karbala. Ashura is a period of mourning that marks the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, and his followers who were killed in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.
