For Honored Guest, Shiite Sect in Pakistan Dares a Celebration
20, 2017
KARACHI, Pakistan — In Karachi, on the eve of their holy month of mourning, the city’s small but active Shiite Bohra sect has gone into overdrive.
"We were so happy, I can’t explain it." Though Karachi is home to one of the biggest concentrations
of Dawoodi Bohras outside India, the sect’s leader has not visited for Muharram for 21 years.
Abdeali said that These last few years, they’ve been better than the previous few years,
For the first time in more than 20 years, the group is hosting their spiritual leader from Mumbai, India,
and tens of thousands of other Bohras from around the world will come to be near him during the holy month of Muharram, which starts on Thursday.
" Mr. Khan said. that There’s barely a single area in Karachi that doesn’t have a procession,
" Mr. Khan said. that If normalcy and a better situation in Karachi have arrived, we need something to manifest that normalcy,
Mr. Khan, the police official, said that the city’s leaders felt that allowing the procession to go ahead safely would send an important message.