The red flag of Imam Reza's (AS) shrine in Mashhad, Iran, has been placed on the coffin of the country's slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Al-Jazeera reports that this symbolic step has been taken as part of mourning and state farewell ceremonies.
The report stated that Ali Khamenei will be buried on July 9 in the courtyard of Imam Reza's shrine in Mashhad. This date was set after he was killed in a joint attack by the United States and Israel.
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Nader Hashemi, associate professor of Middle East and Islamic politics at Georgetown University, said the red flag of Imam Reza's shrine is a symbol of martyrdom and sacrifice in Shia Islam. It is specifically used as a memorial to the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (AS) at Karbala.
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According to him, the event of Karbala holds deep religious and historical significance for Shia Muslims. By using this red flag on Khamenei's coffin, an attempt has been made to symbolically link his death to the continuity of that historical sacrifice.
