This post is also available in: العربية
Black and green banners filled the cities and towns of Deir Ezzor, mourning “Al-Hussein” on the anniversary of his martyrdom known as Ashura.
The checkpoints of Iranian militias in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside raised banners bearing slogans glorifying the religious ritual of Shia.
The most prominent slogans raised on this occasion were “Labbaik Ya Abba al-Fadl al-Abbas” and “Ya Hussein”.
Yesterday, Russian helicopters overflew Deir Ezzor as buses belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard militia (IRGC) travelled to Damascus, to attend the “Ashura” ceremony in Damascus, the capital that wore black today, mourning Al-Hussein, as Shia spread in many areas of the Old city of Damascus, claiming to protect their sacred places such as the shrines of Ruqiya and Zainab.
On this day every year, the Shiite militias in Deir Ezzor hold mourning ceremonies in houses, husseiniyas and shrines they had established in their areas of control, with black and red banners raised on them. Several days ago, the IRGC militia raised a large banner reading “Ya Hussein” at the entrance of Al-Quriyah city, and Fatimiyeon militia raised another one at the entrance of Al-Mayadeen.
By that, Iran is making real and rapid steps towards its goal of converting the people of the region into its brand of Shiism and achieving demographic change by replacing the original population with people loyal to the militias, in order to establish the Shia crescent, that Iran and its militias are desperate to achieve by all means.