Iraq Declares Ashura an Official Holiday, Formalizing Shia Commemoration

Iraq's Council of Ministers declared June 25, 2026 a public holiday to mark Ashura, the anniversary of Imam Hussein's death at Karbala in 680 CE. The move grants formal state recognition to the most significant date in the Shia liturgical calendar after decades of suppression under Ba'athist rule. For Iraq's Shia-majority population, the holiday signals that Baghdad no longer restricts religious observance and coordinates security around the annual pilgrimage that draws tens of millions to Karbala.