The Shadow of Currency and Cultural Differences on Arbaeen Pilgrimage

Officials of the Islamic Republic say that so far this year, 1.9 million Iranian pilgrims have traveled to Iraq to participate in the Arbaeen pilgrimage. Meanwhile, due to currency fluctuations, the costs of travel this year have increased by 300 to 400 percent compared to last year. Iranian media report annually that about two to three million people travel to Iraq for the Arbaeen pilgrimage, but the estimated cost of between 1.7 million to 4 million tomans per person for this year's ceremony has raised concerns about the potential decline in participation. However, considering the exact number of participants announced by Shahryar Heydari, the Secretary of the Central Arbaeen Headquarters, by Monday morning, it seems that the government has made both public and covert efforts to mitigate the impact of currency market fluctuations on this religious event, which is seen as a 'display of power' for Shiites in the region. These efforts are made because Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has repeatedly emphasized the need for a 'grand' Arbaeen pilgrimage, making it one of the main political and propaganda programs of the Islamic Republic outside Iran. Among the public measures to support the event is the allocation of 17 billion tomans in the budget of Hassan Rouhani's government in 2018. There is no specific information on the expenditures of other institutions, including the Revolutionary Guards, but many of them, such as municipalities, allocate significant amounts for the Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq based on religious beliefs or political pressures. Some members of the Tehran City Council have stated that the Arbaeen Headquarters spent nearly 35 billion tomans for this event during Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf's mayorship in 2016, and the municipality also provided 10 billion tomans in financial assistance to the Arbaeen Headquarters. Although it is unclear how much the Tehran municipality or municipalities of other provinces have spent for this year's event, Hossein Zolghadr, the head of the Central Arbaeen Headquarters of the Ministry of Interior, announced that the cost of outpatient medical services by the Ministry of Health and the General Staff of Medical Forces during last year's pilgrimage was 20 trillion tomans, a figure that is noteworthy and questionable. The head of the Health and Medical Committee of the Arbaeen Headquarters this year also stated that since the beginning of the pilgrimage, 118 Iranian pilgrims injured in Iraq have been transferred to medical centers in border areas through the Mehran and Shalamcheh border terminals by the country's emergency services. According to Pir Hossein Kolivand, from October 21 to the end of Sunday, emergency medical services have been provided to 52,308 Arbaeen pilgrims at six eastern, northern, western, and southern border points of the country. He did not provide details about the costs of services for this number of pilgrims. Meanwhile, the Iranian Red Crescent has sent more than 200 tons of various medicines related to this event to Iraq. After the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, the Arbaeen pilgrimage, which was mostly held individually, came under the control of the Islamic Republic, and at Khamenei's order, the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization was tasked with organizing this event. Although the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization has significant income from visa issuance, pilgrim insurance, transportation companies, hoteliers, restaurants, observers, caravans, and dozens of other sources due to its monopoly on organizing the Arbaeen pilgrimage, it still requires billions of tomans in additional budget for its propaganda activities. One of the other differences in this year's Arbaeen pilgrimage for Iranian pilgrims compared to last year, besides the rising currency prices, is the method of currency allocation. This year, it was announced that pilgrims would receive currency either at exit points or inside Iraq instead of within the country, which has drawn much criticism in practice. Although the government symbolically reduced the price of the significantly increased visa for the people, due to the inability of the domestic banking system, many pilgrims who had attempted to pay in rials through the banking system to receive currency found themselves lost at the Iraqi side of the Shalamcheh border. The reason for this confusion was reported to be the lack of currency payment branches. The website Asr Iran reported that this situation led to an increase in the price of the Iraqi dinar at the border, and brokers at the Shalamcheh border took advantage of this gap. The allocation of currency to Iranian pilgrims in Iraq was so inadequate that Mir Masoud Hosseinian, the Iranian consul in Karbala, expressed dissatisfaction with the slow distribution of currency among pilgrims in Karbala in an interview. He urged the responsible authorities in the Central Arbaeen Headquarters and the Central Bank to find a solution to this problem as soon as possible. The publication of images showing the distribution of currency to pilgrims by Bank Melli from the holes of a dilapidated wall in Najaf also drew much criticism, leading to an explanation from the bank. Bank Melli stated that the Iraqi government 'due to security issues' had closed the planned booths and handed over an old building to the bank that 'is not befitting for the people.' However, the bank added that it had to use 'minimal facilities to provide services' because if currency was not distributed, 'pilgrims would face other problems.' Gholamreza Abazari, the cultural attaché of Iran in Iraq, also reported that many pilgrims had declined to receive travel currency in Iraq. He stated that he was sharing this news based on his personal observations, citing the lack of currency payment booths for pilgrims and long lines to receive currency as the reasons. Cultural differences between the people of Iran and Iraq have also been raised following the incident of providing sexual services in Mashhad to Iraqi pilgrims of the eighth Shiite Imam, which officials of the Islamic Republic vehemently denied. This time, the issue of 'cultural differences' between the people of Iran and Iraq has been brought up in the context of the Arbaeen pilgrimage. The head of the Cultural and Educational Committee of the Central Arbaeen Headquarters stated that 'over 1,000 cultural and promotional issues of the Arbaeen pilgrimage have been identified that need to be addressed for each harm.' Hamid Ahmadi attributed some of the cultural problems arising during this pilgrimage to 'cultural conflicts' between the people of Iran and Iraq, which he said 'need education and clarification,' adding that 'some are completely incorrect behaviors that need to be addressed.' He identified 'wastefulness' as one of the significant harms of Arbaeen, which he said 'is related to the difference in food preparation' between the people of Iran and Iraq. He said: 'Iranian pilgrims do not want to waste, but when they take rice from Iraqi tents, they do not eat it because the cooking method and taste of this rice do not suit Iranian palates.' Ahmadi criticized the unfamiliarity of some Iranians with the ethnic and religious fabric of Iraq and the offensive remarks made by some of them, stating, 'In Iraq, Sunnis are present alongside Shiites in the Arbaeen reception, so we must be careful in our speech and behavior.' He made these remarks while numerous reports have emerged of curses and insults directed at Sunni leaders by some Shiite Arbaeen pilgrims, with no reports of counteractions, especially from responsible officials in the media. This official also urged pilgrims to respect the prevailing culture in Iraq regarding women's behavior, adding: 'It is not appropriate that when Iraqis offer their homes to pilgrims, we stay too long in their homes, as we must also consider other pilgrims.' Correcting the perception of the 'free' nature of the Arbaeen journey among Iranian pilgrims and the cultural differences between the people of Iran and Iraq in sharing a cup are other discrepancies that Ahmadi pointed out. Reports from responsible officials and some social media users present at this pilgrimage have also highlighted various issues, including the inappropriate makeup of Iranian women in tents contrary to the prevailing culture of the event, the carrying of drugs by some pilgrims for personal use, and the overeating of some pilgrims leading to health issues, as well as the offering of counterfeit Iranian money to Iraqis, which has drawn criticism.