U.S. scholar says his fascination with tazieh linked him to Ashura

TEHRAN,Dec.4(MNA) -- American professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Peter J. Chelkowski said that the Iranian passion play, tazieh, caused him to become fascinated in Muharram and Ashura. Ashura is the tenth day of the lunar month of Muharram upon which Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions were martyred. Chelkowski, an expert in modern art and literature, gave some details on how he got to know Muharram on Saturday. He said that before he made a trip to Iran several years ago he knew little about Muharram and Ashura but when he came to Iran, he made a trip to Rasht in northern Iran during the month of Muharram where he watched a tazieh performance and fell in love with Muharram. “The play was a great performance for me, an individual who had studied dramatic arts in Poland,” said Chelkowski who is originally from Poland. “It was there where I began my research work on tazieh and Muharram,” he added. The significant highlight of the performance was the actors who performed their roles through poetry recitation and the colors which were used to distinguish the good and bad characters of the play, he said. Chelkowski also talked about the Caribbean basin, where he has been tracing a religious ritual like tazieh in recent years. The ritual is called Hosay and was brought to the Caribbean by East Indian laborers. Asked which one of the characters in the event of Ashura has impressed him the most, he replied that he was impressed the most by Hazrat Abbas (AS), brother of Imam Hussein (AS) who was martyred during the Ashura event. Hazrat Abbas (AS) was the standard-bearer of the army of Imam Hussein (AS). He was martyred when he was trying to bring water for his brother’s children. He said that he has written and published many articles about Hazrat Abbas (AS) and has collected many articles written about him. In his opinion, Hazrat Abbas (AS) is a brave, freedom-seeking man who tried to save Imam Hussein (AS) and his family. “From Karbala to New York City: Tazieh on the Move” is among Chelkowski’s noteworthy credits.