Iran Pushing Large Pilgrimage To Iraq To Show Influence

The Iranian government spends hundreds of millions of dollars and huge resources each year to sponsor the Arbaeen pilgrimage to Karbala, among the largest annual gatherings in the world, to show that its Shiite ideology is influential both domestically and in the region. Government organizations and the state affiliated charities as well as municipalities and city councils often allocate considerable budgets to organize the Arbaeen Walk. Some officials and clerics say the Arbaeen gathering is one of the manifestations of the Shia “soft power’.