Ban on Muharram processions in occupied Kashmir protested

Hundreds of Shiite Muslims in the Indian-Held Kashmir staged a protest against the years-long ban on Muharram procession here on Monday Dec 21 under the banner of Anjuman- Sharai Shian. The protest rally passed through Lal Chowk and converged at Pratap Park as the protestors carried placards reading ‘ We want religious freedom.’ Murtuza Hussian Abbasi, leader of Anjuman- Sharai- Shian said that they were asking for their religious freedom. “We are protesting against the ban imposed by the government for the last 20 years on 8th and 10th day of Muharram (the first month of the Islamic calendar). We demand that the government removes the unjustified restrictions and give us a sense of religious freedom,” said Abbasi.