BAGHDAD: Iraq's President, Jalal Talabani, has reiterated necessity to unify Iraq's religious, sectarian and nationalist forces, on occasion of the martyrdom anniversary of Shiite Imam Mousa al-Kadhim at the 7th century AD, taking place these days.
"Iraqis are commemorating these days the anniversary of martyrdom of Imam Mousa Bin-Jaafar al-Kadhim, whose life and martyrdom had embodied all values of goodness and justice, joining all Muslims around the words of right and rejecting injustice," Talabani said, in a statement issued by his office on Monday.
He said that "he, who expressed the significance of this anniversary to unify Iraqis, in their different religious, sectarian and nationalist components, had followed the march of Imam Mousa al-Kadhim, as it happened in the catastrophe of Baghdad's al-A'aima Bridge, that had reflected the fraternity among the same people, when Baghdad's citizens had helped to save their brothers, who fell in Tigris River, (in a previous celebration of the same occasion)."
The occasion had witnessed a number of Sunnis, marching to help their Shiite compatriots, who were attacked by terrorists, while crossing the bridge to attend the Imam's martyrdom day, including a young Sunni man, called Othman, who threw himself in the River to save the Shiites, and lost his live doing that.
"The commemoration of this occasion every year is an opportunity to revise the real spiritual values, being an occasion to express love, fraternity and potentials on the march to face difficulties and shoulder responsibility to overcome differences among our people and to achieve a free and prosperous life for them," Talabani said in his statement.
Muslims from different parts of Iraq and other Muslim Nations visit north Baghdad's Shiite Kadhimiya district these days to commemorate the anniversary of Imam Mousa Bin Jaafar al-Kadhim's martyrdom, being the 7th Shiite Imam, whose grand-grand father was Imam Ali Bin-Abi Taleb, Prophet Mohammed's Cousin and Son-in-Law.
Imam Mousa al-Kadhim was born in Safar, 127th Islamic Hijry year and died in Rajab, 183 Hijry year, and was buried in northern Baghdad's Kadhimiya district, named after him.
© Aswat Aliraq 2011
