Secretariat-General of Imam Hussein Holy Shrine clarifies statements of Karbala Research Centre’s director

An official source from the Secretariat-General of Imam Hussein Holy Shrine clarified that the statements made by the Karbala Center for Studies and Research during the Arbaeen Pilgrimage Conference, represent the personal views of the center’s administration and do not reflect the views of the Secretariat-General of the holy shrine.

The source emphasized that, “what represents the viewpoint of the Holy Shrine of Imam Hussein is only what is issued through official statements or attributed to an official source.”

The Secretariat-General also expressed its appreciation for the security and service efforts made by various entities during the Arbaeen pilgrimage, praising the efforts exerted under difficult conditions, such as high temperatures and the large number of pilgrims arriving from different countries around the world.

From his part, the director of the Karbala Center for Studies and Research, Abdul Amir Al-Quraishi, criticized the services provided to pilgrims during the Arbaeen Pilgrimage, particularly in terms of security and service plans, asserting that these issues have sent negative messages about this global event and the city of Sayyid al-Shuhada, peace be upon him.

In his opening speech at the 8th International Scientific Conference on the Arbaeen Pilgrimage, Al-Quraishi said, “There are many studies and research papers conducted by researchers from various countries that are presented to the Iraqi government to improve services during the Arbaeen Pilgrimage of Imam Hussein, peace be upon him, but we have not seen these reflected in the decisions of policymakers.”

He added: “It is unfortunate that such important studies are not given attention, despite their significance in developing the services and infrastructure needed to accommodate the millions of pilgrims coming from different parts of the world to the holy city of Karbala.”

Al-Quraishi also pointed out that “there is no justification for turning the city into a military barracks, especially when there are over 120 nationalities from different countries of the world, which sent negative and unsettling messages about the security situation in the country. Additionally, the service and security plan was the worst compared to previous years.”