$100m to expand Imam al-Hussein mosque court- cabinet

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi cabinet has decided to allocate $100 million U.S. dollars for the expansion of Imam al-Hussein mosque court in Karbala city, in addition to $87.5 million in compensation for military operations in Anbar’s Falluja city. “Other $300 million U.S. dollars has been allocated from the supplementary budget for the establishment of five hospitals,” according to a statement released by the office of government Spokesperson Ali al-Dabbagh and received by IraqiNews.com news agency. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Rafie al-Issawi said that storekeepers in Falluja’s al-Sinaie neighborhood will be compensated for the damage inflicted on them as a result of military operations in their city. Karbala city, 110 km south of Baghdad, is one of Iraq’s wealthiest, profiting both from religious visitors and agricultural produce, especially dates. It is made up of two districts, “Old Karbala,” the religious centre, and “New Karbala,” the residential district containing Islamic schools and government buildings. At the centre of the old city is Masjid al-Hussein, the tomb of Hussein Ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad by his daughter Fatima al-Zahraa and Ali Ibn Abi Taleb. Imam Hussien’s tomb is a place of pilgrimage for many Shiite Muslims, especially on the anniversary of the battle, the Day of Ashuraa. Many elderly pilgrims travel there to await death, as they believe the tomb to be one of the gates to paradise. SS (S) 1