The local Shia Muslim community will honor Imam Hussein, a martyr who defended Islam with a small group of supporters nearly 1,400 years ago, with an event on Saturday in Carteret.

The Imam Hussain Peace Walk is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. at the Carteret Park Pavilion at Carteret Avenue and Louis Street and end at the Carteret Town Center in front of the Memorial Municipal Building at 61 Cooke Ave. A ceremony will continue there until 8 p.m., organizers said.

The Battle of Karbala in 680 in Iraq pitted Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and his 72 supporters against the 30,000-strong army of Yazid, a ruler who disregarded Islamic law and Muslim traditions, noted Mayor Dan Reiman in a news release about the peace walk.

“Imam Hussein and his supporters sacrificed their lives rather than submit to religious oppression,” Reiman said. “Subsequent sermons by the women from Hussein’s caravan condemning the injustices of Yazid led to his disgrace and the end of his reign.

“Every year on the 10th of Muharram – the first month of the Islamic calendar – Shia Muslims throughout the world observe the day of martyrdom of Imam Hussein,” Reiman continued. “This year, Imam Hussein’s day of martyrdom is observed on July 22, so the Carteret Shia Muslim community will be holding a processional walk as a show of solidarity, truth and justice.”

The local walk is part of the Shia Muslim community’s Stand with Dignity campaign to raise awareness about Imam Hussein, said co-organizer Syed Z. Bukhari, a borough resident.

Bukhari said Stand with Dignity is inspired by one of the greatest movements of faith, love and humanity.

“The questions we raise deeply invoke the heart,” he said. “What do we stand for? What values would we fight for? How often do we have compassion for others? Today, it is difficult to find an individual who embodies the ideals of honor, valor and dignity. Over 1,400 years ago, one man made a stand. He defied the tyrant ruler through one battle, spurring the beginning of a movement that continues until today. This man was Iman Hussein.”

Source: mycentraljersey.com