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Muslims from around the region gathered at Masjid-e-Ali on Cedar Grove lane August 10 for their annual commemoration of Husain Day.
The day memorializes Imam Husain, the grandson of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, who was killed along with 72 members of his family and followers for refusing to acknowledge the authority of Yazid, who had claimed the title of Caliph of Muslim society more than 1,400 years ago.
Husain is seen as a fighter against oppression and hate. His influence extends into modern times; he was noted as an inspiration by Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., among others.
“In honor of Imam Hussein, every year we have this commemoration, remembering the sacrifice, the valor, bravery, and altruism in order to stand up for the basic principles of life, which is justice, which is standing up against oppression, which is to prevent any sort of disgrace and prevent honor and dignity from mankind,” said Molana Rizwan Rizvi, the mosque’s resident scholar.
Husain’s message, Rizvi said, “speaks to a variety of people, all of mankind for that matter, all of humanity for that matter.”
The event’s keynote speaker was Amir Ahmed Atozai, a representative from the Pakistani consulate, who said that Muslims should always “be able to fight for what is right, for what is fact, and for what is right, for the theme of righteousness.”
“The second most important thing … is … resistance against oppression,” he said.
“The principles with Imam Hussain, how he lived his life, how he sacrificed his life, those principles are today as relevant as they were then,” he said. “We see, ladies and gentlemen, there is too much oppression in today’s world. There is too much injustice. And there is a call for all of us to stand for what is right, for what is just.”
“The battle between evil and good is eternal,” he said. “And so is the message. We should never forget.”
Also speaking was Father Eugene Fields, of Our Lady of Visitation Catholic Church in Paramus, who compared Husain’s death to that of Jesus and John. all were killed, he said, because they had knowledge of the truth and they spoke it.
“Knowledge is one of the great tools that we can use to blunt oppression,” he said.
“Models such as Imam Hussein and John the Baptist simply remind us that we, ordinary men and women, we can do extraordinary things if we’re true to ourselves and we’re willing to share what we know with those around us,” he said.
Here are some scenes from the day:
