AL ARBA'IN

This research discusses the topic of «religious diplomacy of the
Holy Shrine of the Husayniyyah,» the Arba’een pilgrimage models,
and the role of non-state actors in the management of international
relations. Conflicts between states and groups, resolving conflicts
or preventing their occurrence in order to build a global religious
peace is done by bringing together religious and spiritual leaders
and politicians within the tracks of popular diplomacy to discuss
sensitive issues with the aim of reaching common solutions. And
in Iraq, the holy Husseini shrine adopted this religious diplomatic
role and clarified its goals and tools, by investing in the million
pilgrimage to define the Iraqi reality and give a true picture of
this society. Various countries of the world may be an important
tributary of religious diplomacy and an important tool for defining
the Iraqi reality and adopting its important issues.

The organization of the Zyarat Al-Arbaeen especially from the
Islamic countries, needs pauses that must be stopped, especially
during the period of Ottomans domination over the Arab countries,
including Iraq with its three states (Baghdad-Mosul-Basra) in
particular from (1534-1918). Those years also passed through
important articulated shifts that affected the general situation in
Iraq, including Zeyarat Al-Arbaeen, which prompted the state
council pay a great attention to this ritual and this was evident
through correspondences between Ottomans governors in Iraq
and the state council.
Among those Ottoman concerns during the reign of Sultan
Suleiman the Magnificent (1540-1566) and Sultan Selim II (1566-
1574) and the exchanged documents that provide us with valuable
information, it is related to Ottoman-Safavid relationship and the
interest of Iranian Muslims in Imams Zeyarah of the Ithna’Ashari
in Najaf and Karbala, and the most important is Zyarat Al-Arbaeen
of Imam Hussein (PBUH) on the tenth of Muharram Al Haram.
The main question of the research is whether the Iranian visitors
enjoyed religious freedom like the Iraqi’s in Zyarat AL Arbaeen.And did the political relations between the Ottoman-Safavid have
an impact on that Zyarah?
The research will be dealt with in two axes, the first is the
visit during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and the
second axis is the visit during the reign of Sultan Selim II, and the
point out is made to the responses of the two sultans in the letters
they received from the Beylerbeyi in this context.

Zeyart AL-Arbaeen represented spiritual sanctity ،its content
is the system of global human moral knowledge ،and perhaps it
constitutes the civilization of peace because it contains the largest
global cultural youth gathering ،despite the diversity of cultures.
Therefore ،the research aims to identify )the Arbaeen is a soft
power to activate the global civilization of peace(.
Which makes us wonder :Is the Arbaeen able to create a soft
power that leads to the creation of a global civilization of peace?
What are the components of this force?

In this study, I will summarize a number of historical and
religious texts, then shed light on them to identify a number of
connections to the most important historical doctrinal event that
exists and is repeated every year, which is Zyarat AL-Arbaeen
. I first study the historical beginning of its establishment and
the reasons for that establishment, then I explain the historical
circumstances that made this The visit attracted the attention of
some imams of Ahl al-Bayt, and I then explained the doctrinal
impact that this event had - in particular - on Imami Shiism.

This passage discusses the relatively modern concept of soft
power in international politics, emphasizing the significance of
non-military tools in achieving foreign policy goals. Joseph S. Nye
coined the term “soft power,” defining it as a nation’s ability to
influence other nations and guide their public choices through the
attractiveness of its social system, culture, values, and institutions,
rather than through coercion or threats.
Soft power for any country relies heavily on three main sources:
General culture and whether it is attractive or repelling to others.
Political values and the seriousness of commitment to them,
whether domestically or internationally, in peace or war.
The adopted foreign policy and the degree of its legitimacy and
voluntary acceptance by the world’s countries and peoples.
It highlights that power has another dimension beyond military
and economic might, known as soft power. This form of power
can be more effective, influential, cost-effective, and closer to the
recipient, using inherent persuasive or attractive abilities to swayothers’ opinions and inclinations towards what it desires. When
effectively utilizing this non-material power, presenting it in the
best possible light, it becomes effective and influential enough to
alter others’ beliefs, adjust their preferences, and achieve more
than what hard tools can accomplish.
Regarding Iraq, the Zeyart AL-Arbaeen represents the most
impactful form of soft power if employed correctly. The Arbaeen
pilgrimage, with its human, social, and economic dimensions,
represents a global humanitarian aspect by attracting individuals
of various nationalities and ethnicities from around the world.
This phenomenon serves in propagating noble human values,
exemplified through this pilgrimage. It elucidates the values of
self-sacrifice and martyrdom for the sake of the truth, which are
among the highest values of sacrifice. Furthermore, it promotes
social cohesion and collaboration among all for the success of this
global visit.
Proper and effective utilization of this pilgrimage’s societal,
psychological, and moral dimensions on the visiting individuals,
who carry this positive and distinguished image of the pilgrimage,
extending its impact to other societies, constitutes an Iraqi soft
power. This power contributes to enhancing Iraq’s position and
status among nations globally and enables it to play an active and
influential role regionally and internationally.

In the past most groups and countries relied on military force
to achieve their desires and goals including using terrorist and
economical means. But after these means failed to achieve the
intended goal these countries resorted to using another means” soft
power”which is considered a real war but rather one of the most
dangerous forms of confrontation to sabotage the values’ system
of others without paying attention to what is happening in often
and even it sometimes lives the joy of what happened.So Zyarat
AL-Arba’een of Imam Hussein (P B U H) for periods of time
witnessed a lot of hostile operationsbut after the failed of terrorist
attempts to achieve its goals they aimed to use the means of soft
power considering it the best way to subjugate others and control
their minds. Whereas soft power is the ability to change the desires
of those who perform Shaaer AL-Zyarat based on changing the
elements of culture for those who perform these Shaaer relying
on the sources of this power media sources researchers internet
networks sites spread online and cultural exchange programs with
spreading suspicions about Al-Zyara and there must be a highlight the effect of this soft power on Shaaer of Zyarat AL-Arba’een .

The visit of imams and saints constitutes an outlet and a
departure from the material world to the spiritual world, in
addition to the fact that the Islamic law supported and cared for
visiting the tomb of the Prophet and the immaculate imams. The
visits, where millions flow from different parts and walks of the
world, and this visit was a reason for cultural communication and
the strengthening of human relations between different peoples, as
this cultural communication led as a result to intellectual and social
contact and fertilization that has dimensions that are reflected in
the social reality, which led to the occurrence of social changes
And cultural.

The visit of imams and saints constitutes an outlet and a
departure from the material world to the spiritual world, in
addition to the fact that the Islamic law supported and cared for
visiting the tomb of the Prophet and the immaculate imams. The
visits, where millions flow from different parts and walks of the
world, and this visit was a reason for cultural communication and
the strengthening of human relations between different peoples, as
this cultural communication led as a result to intellectual and social
contact and fertilization that has dimensions that are reflected in
the social reality, which led to the occurrence of social changes
And cultural.

After the change that occurred in the movement of visitors in
the province of Babylon and the increase in their numbers towards
the province of Karbala over time on foot, this effect led to a clear
and tangible development in increasing the number of Husseini
processions, their diversity, and their development along both
sides of the main axes that the visitors take. Basra Governorate up
to Dhi Qar Governorate, Maysan, Diwaniyah from the southern
part and the east, and from the north Baghdad, DiyalaMosul,
Karkuk, as well as Wasit Governorate from the eastern side, in
addition to them the arrivals from other countries outside Iraq
during Zeyart AL-Arbaeen. It was necessary to serve the visitors
of the Arbaeen, so the research came to know the reality of the
spatial distribution of the Husseini processions in the province of
Babaylon and to know their distribution along the main roads of
the visitors in relation to the area of the province. This research
relied on the descriptive analytical approach.

The Arbaeen event is considered one of the most important and
largest religious occasions in the world in general and in the Holy
Karbala in particular because of its special Islamic symbolism.
The concept of religious tourism as an economic source
supports the economic structure in Iraq and provides economiccurrencieswhich is the real beginning in the development and
operation of an important vital organism because Iraq is the cradle
of different religious culturesespecially the Arab-Islamic culture as
one of the most important Islamic centers in the world. Hundreds
of thousands of tourists and pilgrimages from all over the Islamic
world and other countries are visiting the holy city of Karbalawhich
is famous for its religioushuman and archaeological heritage. The
city of Karbala is an ancient heritage city characterized by narrow
inner streetswhich negatively affects the movement and flow of
tourists and pilgrimages during the big events. The current road
network barely meets the needs of the city’s population but fails
during the big events. In this researchthe urban planning of the city
of Karbala was examined and the most important problems that
the city suffers from during normal days and pilgrimages events
were identified. Supply and Demand Theory. The eastern axis of
the city (Karbala-Babylon) was chosenand the Level of Service
(LOS) was calculatedas it was for ordinary days (E) and days for
religious occasions (F). The city has been divided into four urban
areas to increase the efficiency of the network. The use of the
flexible development of the streets and roads network on regular
weekdays and the days and periods of religious events without
changing the general plan of the main streets raised the efficiency
of the network and contributed to reducing the time of access to
the holy shrines in a sustainable manner and at the lowest cost.

The Arbaeen visit is one of the most important community activities
that are organized within a religious, ideological, value and emotional
framework. It is also one of the most human gatherings in the world
that is held annually with a religious and self-motivation. As for the
goal of the research, it is: to clarify the role of the Arbaeen visit in
developing the intellectual and educational dimensions of youth,
because this visit is considered a practical education for the beliefs and
morals of the Muslim individual, in which he assumes the guardians
of God and disavows his enemies in it, where he participates in this
visit of different age groups of both sexes. The analytical descriptive
approach was used based on statistical methods and means, as the
study was supported by a number of tables and charts, the necessary
data of which were obtained through the questionnaire form that was
distributed to 500 visitors from the youth category

The Arbaeen pilgrimage rose from the status of a religious
religious ritual to a religious and social phenomenon، which
prompted researchers، observers and others، through cognitive
curiosity and scientific inquiry، to determine its legal authenticity،
its theoretical and behavioral philosophical dimensions، and
the effects of its realistic manifestations on visitors. To satisfy
cognitive curiosity، this study came to read the data of the visit
and the resulting behavior of the group practicing its rituals،
their understanding of it according to cognitive and intellectual
tribalism، and the reasons behind their continued momentum
for it، until it became a religious and social phenomenon and not
just a ritual practice based on religious principles. Therefore،
this study set out to investigate the reality of the effects of the
Arba’een visit and its theoretical and practical philosophical
manifestations on the visitors of Imam Hussein (peace be
upon him) on this occasion by surveying their opinions in this regard in order to prepare reports through which it is possible
to classify its samples، measure its indicators، analyze its
data، and then present and explain its results. To determine
the positive and negative aspects of the impact on the visitor
intending to make that visit، this step came after a demographic
analysis of the holy city of Karbala and all of its entrance axes،
which is considered the destination of visitors and the place to
commemorate the occasion.