Mission Karbala

In the past week, nearly 600 Indians have been brought back from Iraq on chartered flights. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is preparing to evacuate 10,000 others still stranded in the conflict-torn country, like it did when the first Gulf War broke out in 1990.

Meanwhile in Delhi, Anjuman-e-Haidari, a Shia organisation, claims nearly 30,000 Indians have signed up as volunteers to take the flight the other way round. The Anjuman is supposedly the only organisation in the world to launch such an initiative. While a majority of those who have enrolled for it — men and women from all walks of life — are from the Shia sect, there are Sunnis and even a couple of Hindus on the list as well.

As news of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) destroying holy Shia sites trickles in, many in the community fear that Karbala — especially the shrine of Hussain Ibn Ali, the most revered site for Shias after Mecca and Medina — is under threat too. The Iraqi government has stepped up security around the monuments and Iran has reportedly sent in armed forces for their protection last month.

Back in Delhi, Syed Bilal, 33, a software engineer and spokesperson for the Anjuman, as well as a volunteer for the trip, says, “Our campaign is not a publicity stunt. I feel it is our obligation to protect these sites in Karbala and Najaf. When they allow other humanitarian groups to go, I don’t see why we can’t be sent?” he asks, when we meet him at the Dargah Shah-e-Mardan in the Jor Bagh area.

The Anjuman, one of the most vocal Shia groups in the country, is going all out to recruit for the trip to Iraq, and Bilal appears to be at the forefront of the movement. Apart from enlisting the help of its branches in Lucknow, Bangalore and Mumbai, among others, the outfit also claims it has arranged for a chartered flight. “All we’re waiting for is permission from Modiji, and we’ll be on our way,” says Bilal.

The logistics of such a large-scale operation, however, seem unclear at the moment, as also the agenda for ‘work’ in Iraq. “We are not going there to fight but only to protect our holy shrines and help out people in need. We want to provide first-aid and help in any other way we can but, most importantly, we will form a human chain around the shrines in Karbala, if the terrorists try to desecrate them,” he says.

Mohammad Ali, 19, from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, is not as articulate as Bilal. But when we tell Ali and a few others at the dargah that we are here to talk about their plans, they quickly change into a white pullover of sorts, not unlike a pheran, with the words ‘Volunteers for Iraq’ inked in red, in English and Urdu. “Hum shaheed honge (we’ll become martyrs),” says Ali, when quizzed on the risks entailed. One of three siblings, Ali has been in the Capital for the past few months after he graduated from school. “I live near the dargah now and do what is required of me. If the best thing to do now is to go and protect Karbala, I’m ready to do it,” says the young man.

His friend Aon Mohammad, 24, a commerce graduate from Saharanpur, also in UP, is even more sure of himself. But his reasons for packing his bags remain just as unclear. “I’d like to save humanity from the terrorists of ISIS,” he says. “I think, and my parents agree, that the holy shrines need to be protected and if I don’t go now, I can’t live with myself. In some ways, we are all born to die, so why not die for something good.” Mohammad expects to spend up to ₹70,000 for the trip, and hopes that Anjuman will cover the rest of the expenses.

As we flip through the sheaf of volunteer forms, we stumble upon the name Ashish Kumar — a rather unusual recruit for a holy Shia mission. “I see humanitarian value in this,” says Kumar, 32, a resident of south Delhi’s East of Kailash neighbourhood. “I’m a ‘hardcore’ Hindu, there’s no doubt about that. But when I heard of this, I thought if I get to bandage someone or help out those in trouble it’ll be good. Everyone lives for themselves nowadays. I feel you have to do something for society.” Kumar also shares an obscure story of a Rajput king travelling to help fighters during the holy war of Karbala, only to arrive too late. An episode that he clearly hopes to re-enact almost a millennium later, but well on time.

Among the women who plan to accompany Kumar and the rest of the party is Asma Altaf, 23, a resident of Srinagar. Speaking to us over telephone, Altaf says, “We are always ready to save our religion; and whatever happens is god’s will. For me, saving these monuments is crucial.” She also believes that there is a 60 per cent chance of making it to Iraq; a view echoed by many of the other hopefuls. Bilal is more hopeful: “We will consider entering Iraq through Turkey, Syria or Iran in case we can’t fly in directly.”

But with Syed Akbaruddin, spokesperson for the MEA, making the government’s stand clear on the subject at a press briefing on June 26 — “Indian nationals are advised not to travel to Iraq. That applies to every Indian national” — the road to Karbala is not an easy one.

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