Name the place, Karbala, and Muslims around the world think of a desert battlefield in Iraq. The army on one side vastly outnumbers those who oppose them. It is a fight to the death, a fight for access to the water of the Euphrates River, a fight in which women and children are killed, and a fight that ends with the brutal annihilation of the smaller force. And, it is a battle in the desert that took place over 13-hundred years ago.
With their passionate connection to the past, Shi’ite Muslims will see the fighting this weekend in the streets of Karbala through the lens of that ancient conflict. Once again, the battle will be seen as a fight for freedom against oppression, only this time, it was done with the muscle of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne. Revisiting the original battle of Karbala.
Guests:
Peter Chelkowski, Department of Middle Eastern Studies, New York University
Zainab Al-Suwaij, executive director, American Islamic Congress