The Grand Serail, in downtown Beirut. (Illustrative photo by Nabil Ismail)
BEIRUT — All public administrations, institutions, and municipalities in Lebanon will be closed on Monday, July 7, on the occasion of the commemoration of Ashura, according to an administrative circular issued by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday.
Ashura is a major religious event in Shia Islam. Falling on the tenth day of the Islamic month of Muharram, Ashura is a solemn event mourning the martyrdom of Imam al-Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD. His death at the hands of Caliph Yazid’s army is seen as a symbol of the struggle against oppression and injustice.
Qaani: Minimum requirement for Lebanon is a return to pre-war lines
