Iraqi Shia cleric thanks Turkish PM for Ashura remarks

Iraq’s Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has sent a letter to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan, thanking him for his Ashura speech, a day of mourning for Shias commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (A.S), grandson of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh).

“You have touched the hearts of each and every Muslim. You have done what no other Muslim leader has done,” al-Sadr told ErdoÄŸan in Â hisÂ Â letter.

ErdoÄŸan said in his HalkalÄ± speech that â€œmartyrdom of Hussein was not a farewell but a reuniting, it was not an end but a startâ€¦ Everyone should notice that those who try to take advantage of Karbala by marking it as a point of division or hostility for Muslims are people who betray the legacy of the Prophetâ€™s grandson.â€

â€œKarbalaâ€™s pain is still alive in our hearts, even after 1370 years,â€ ErdoÄŸan said.