Draft:Dawood al-Ashoor Hussainiya

Dawood al-Ashoor Hussainiya

Dawood al-Ashoor Hussainiya
General Information
Founder	Dawood Hasan al-Ashoor
Established	1991
Type	Religious Ceremonies
Location	Basra, Iraq
Related events	Prohibition of activities during the Ba'ath Party era, explosion in 2011, presence of Iranian maddahs
Specifications
Capacity	600 people

The Dawood al-Ashoor Hussainiya (founded 1991) is the most prominent Hussainiya serving the Shi'a community in Basra, Iraq, established during the rule of the Ba'ath Party. Its founder, Dawood al-Ashoor (born 1938 in Shatt al-'Arab), was an Iraqi Shi'a merchant involved in the date trade. He commenced his religious activism in the 1950s by managing his father's mawkib (procession) at the Labani Hussainiya in the city of Abu l-Khasib.

During the Ba'ath Party era, the activities of the Dawood al-Ashoor Hussainiya were initially restricted and eventually suspended until 2003. Following the fall of Saddam Hussein, however, the institution experienced a resurgence in its religious functions. On August 25, 2011, the Hussainiya was the target of a terrorist attack attributed to Al-Qaeda involving a car bomb, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of numerous civilians; certain sources also reported a simultaneous suicide attack executed within the Hussainiya premises.

Since 2018, the Hussainiya has frequently hosted Iranian maddahs (eulogists). Notably, from Muharram 23 to 25, 1443 (September 1–3, 2021), three Iranian maddahs performed ceremonies at the venue, garnering extensive coverage in Iranian and various international media outlets.

The Dawood al-Ashoor Hussainiya maintains a robust presence in digital media and social networks. Video and audio recordings of its ceremonies have achieved significant viewership on its YouTube channel, and as of September 22, 2024, the Hussainiya's official Instagram account (@dawood_alashoor) had amassed 4,637 posts and 542,000 followers.

Commemoration ceremony for Qasim Sulaymani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Dawood al-Ashoor Hussainiya