Iraq Diary: After Arbaeen, Iraq's quiet return and lingering worries

For a few sacred days, Iraq felt united in spirit. During Arbaeen, the roads were alive — not with traffic, but with footsteps. Families walked together, strangers shared meals, and the country moved as one toward Karbala. It was more than a pilgrimage — it was a moment of collective soul-searching, of remembering pain and choosing hope.

Now, the rituals are complete. The crowds have thinned. The streets are quieter. Iraq is slowly returning to its everyday rhythm — shops reopening, children heading back to school, workers resuming their routines. But beneath this calm, there’s a quiet tension that hasn’t gone away.

Elections are coming in November. Politicians are back to their speeches, and security forces are on alert. The machinery of governance is grinding back into motion. But for ordinary Iraqis, the real question isn’t just who will win — it’s whether their country will stay safe.

There’s a lingering fear, whispered in homes and cafés: will Iraq once again become a battleground for someone else’s war? They’ve seen it too many times — foreign powers clashing, regional rivalries spilling over, and their own cities caught in the middle.

Most Iraqis aren’t asking for much. Just a chance to live without fear. To raise their children in peace. To walk to Karbala not as an act of defiance, but as a celebration of faith. They’ve carried the weight of history long enough. Now, they just want to breathe.

Journey of the heart: The message from the Arbaeen walk

Every year, something remarkable happens in Iraq. About twenty days after Ashura, millions of Shia Muslims — fathers holding their children’s hands, mothers walking beside them, elders leaning on canes — begin a quiet, determined walk toward Karbala. It’s not just a pilgrimage. It’s a journey of love, grief, and unwavering faith.

Journey Of Love(1447/2025)🤍#ArbaeenWalk2025 pic.twitter.com/se3NzN4FjF

— 𝗦𝘆𝗲𝗱𝗮 𝗝𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗡𝗮𝗾𝘃𝗶 (@jabeen_naqvi) August 13, 2025

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Since 2003, Arbaeen has grown beyond Iraq’s borders. Today, nearly 30 million people from around the world — India, Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon, and far beyond — gather in Karbala to honor Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, on the 40th day after his martyrdom.

Under Saddam Hussein, this walk was forbidden. Mourning was silenced. But now, Arbaeen has become a voice — loud, proud, and peaceful — for Shia Muslims everywhere. It’s a way to say: “We are here. We remember. We stand together.”

Along the dusty roads from Najaf to Karbala, service camps spring up like oases. Volunteers offer tea, bread, water, a place to rest. No one asks for money. No one asks for names. It’s all given from the heart. Strangers become family. The walk becomes a living symbol of generosity and unity.

But Arbaeen is not just spiritual — it’s also deeply human and political. This year, the pain of Palestine echoes in chants and banners. The wounds of Syria and the isolation of Iran are felt in conversations and prayers. Pilgrims from over 150 countries carry not just flags, but stories — of struggle, of resistance, of hope.

Along the route, faces of martyrs’ stare back from posters — young men who died fighting ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Their memory walks with the pilgrims. Just days before this year’s Arbaeen, Iraqi authorities arrested two dozen terrorists who had planned to attack the pilgrimage. The threat is real. But so is the courage. And still, they walk.

They walk for justice. They walk for peace. They walk for Imam Hussein, who stood against tyranny with nothing but truth on his side. In every step, there’s a message: that love is stronger than fear, and that remembrance can be a form of resistance.

Arbaeen is not just a walk. It’s a heartbeat. It’s millions of souls moving as one, carrying the legacy of Karbala forward — one step at a time.

Here is where no one cares about your nationality, race and religion.
Everyone comes just for Imam Hussain❤️#SecretStory#Arbaeenwalk2025 #arbaeen_walk pic.twitter.com/eti2ntinka

— Mona (@TheMonaaaaa) August 8, 2025

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The lingering shadow of ISIS and Iraq’s struggle for stability

For a while, many hoped that ISIS was a chapter closed. But with shifting power dynamics in Syria, whispers of its return have begun to surface. One name stands out — Ahmed Al Shara, known as Abu Muhammad Al Jolani, a former ISIS figure who’s resurfacing in Syria. Add to that the Taliban’s comeback in Afghanistan, and it’s clear that Iraq’s fragile sectarian balance is under renewed pressure.

It’s not just ISIS. Old loyalists from Saddam Hussein’s era are watching the chaos closely, sensing a chance to reclaim influence. They believe that Israel and the United States will do everything in their power to block any government in Baghdad that leans toward Iran.

But amid all this, something deeper continues to stir in the hearts of Iraqis. The message of Karbala — standing up against injustice and tyranny — still resonates powerfully. It’s more than history; it’s a living call to resist oppression.

And while the Popular Mobilization Forces (Hasd al Shabi) are fragmented into dozens of factions, they remain a potent force. For Iran, they’re still the most dependable allies in a region torn by politics and sectarian divides. For many Iraqis, they’re a symbol of resilience — proof that even in the face of chaos, unity and purpose can still rise.

Israel, Iran, and the Fragile Soul of Iraqi Sovereignty

In Iraq, the air is thick with unease. After the devastation in Syria, many Iraqis fear their country could be next. The whispers of war haven’t faded — they’ve only grown louder. People speak of Israel’s looming challenge to Iran’s influence in the region, and even within Iran, there’s a grim acceptance: another war may be inevitable, and Iraq could become its battleground.

The odds, demographically and politically, don’t favor the coalition of Israel, America, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. But history has shown, they’ll still take their chances. There was a time when many Arabs believed Tehran held sway over Beirut, Damascus, Baghdad, and Sana’a. Today, only Baghdad remains relatively stable, while the others are mired in sectarian strife.

The Israeli state is committing genocide. It has murdered over 60,000 people, 18,430 of whom were children.

It has starved hundreds to death including many children and is threatening to starve millions.

Enabling these crimes by silence and inaction is a crime in itself.

It…

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) August 12, 2025

Baghdad itself has seen a surprising transformation. Roads are being built, skylines reshaped. Chinese, American, Iranian, and Turkish companies all compete to leave their mark. But amid this flurry of development, one question lingers: where does India stand?

Adil Abdul Mehdi, Iraq’s former prime minister, doesn’t mince words: “India has conceded its status as a regional power to the Americans and Chinese. The resistance forces are gaining ground, even as the US and Israel dominate the narrative. India once had influence — under Nehru and Indira Gandhi, it was a respected voice in West Asia. But under Modi, India has allowed the US to come to its borders and let China encircle it. Now, China, Iran, and Israel are the only real players in the region. Indian companies may profit from reconstruction, but they’ve chosen to stand behind Israel.”

In Najaf, Al-Mujtaba, a local resident, echoes the same sorrow: “India under Modi has lost the respect it earned through Gandhi and Nehru. No sane mind can support what Israel is doing in Gaza. People are being denied the right to live. Netanyahu is doing what Yezid did to Imam Hussain and his children in Karbala. When you stand with that kind of cruelty, you lose your soul — and your respect.”

These aren’t just political critiques, they’re reflections of heartbreak. Iraqis remember who stood with them in times of need. They remember who spoke for justice, and who stayed silent. In a region where memory runs deep and wounds take generations to heal, standing on the wrong side of history isn’t just a misstep, it’s a betrayal.

A voice from India: Priyanka Gandhi and the pain of Palestine

In a world where silence often feels louder than words, Priyanka Gandhi has chosen to speak. Again and again, she’s raised her voice against the heartbreaking violence unfolding in Gaza. Her latest post on X wasn’t just political — it was raw, urgent, and deeply human.

She wrote of the unimaginable: over 60,000 lives lost, nearly 18,500 of them children. Children. She spoke of starvation, hundreds already gone, millions more at risk. And then she said what many feel but few dare to say: “Enabling these crimes by silence and inaction is a crime in itself.
It is shameful that the Indian Government stands silent as Israel unleashes this devastation on the people of Palestine.”

In Karbala, Iraq, where grief and resistance are woven into the soil, her message resonated deeply. Abu Muhammad, a Palestinian activist visiting the sacred city, said quietly: “At least someone in India is aware of the events in West Asia.”