Hawzah News Agency-The purpose of establishing the NGO was making communication and coordination among European citizens who wish to attend Arbaeen ceremony. The organization didn’t have a regular and formal plan in the past three years. This year, for the first time, it could manage significant population to gather in Iraq.

In this regard, Hojjat al-Islam Seyed Ehsan shir khodaei, responsible of Cultural Committee of Arbaeen EU delegations, said to the reporter of Islamic Radio and Television Union: “this year we managed to register over 950 Shiite Muslim citizens from 18 European countries and bring them to Iraq for attending Arbaeen ritual.”

“About 50 of them are the newly Muslims who had converted to Islam and Shiism from Christianity. The rest of them come from the families that are Muslim originally and had European culture in the past, but thanks be to God they back to the Islamic culture again,” he added.

Shir Khodaei also said: “most of them in the convoy are coming from families who are originally Muslims. They come from Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, etc.”

This group of European Muslims is going to stay in Najaf for three days. And they will attend hiking of Arbaeen pilgrimage on Friday morning.

He mentioned propose of Cultural Committee of attending Arbaeen EU delegations: “we and our friend, who are seminary students and can speak different languages from Qom, came to the conclusion to form a Cultural Committee for Arbaeen and have cultural activities alongside the European Muslims in Iraq.”

Shir Khodaei continued: “we plan getting to know them and collect basic and personal information in order to communicate with them and use their capacity over the years. We also want to present Cultural and religious lectures for them in their accommodation and resolve their religious doubts and etc.”

“Along with our cultural committee, some artist girls, master in calligraphy, come along with us to make a connection with these newly Muslims and train them Islamic line in short-term courses. On the way from Iran to Iraq we stopped at some spots and the sisters write beautiful religious slogans on the wall of Mokeb (shelter) and enlightened the mood.”

“We have prepared blue uniforms with special headbands for the newly Muslims, so the Convoy of Arbaeen EU delegations could move as a group in the road. We also prepared some cultural products as a gift such as beads, ring and etc to enhance the spiritual value of the convoy. Some benefactors gave the full budgets of the gifts preparation,” he also added.

At the end, the young and active cleric said: “this is our first official appearance of Arbaeen EU delegations. We hope to hold a proper ritual as an introduction for greater and more populous caravan for next year.”