At the funeral procession for Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, many mourners are waving a red and white flag which symbolizes martyrdom and revenge in the Shia Muslim tradition.
The flag, which has the Farsi words “Ya Hussein” on it, refers to the 7th century martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed and a revered Shia figure. Hussein was killed during the Battle of Karbala, which cemented the permanent divide between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
While the flag is widely used as a religious invocation across the Shia Muslim world, the Iranian regime has also used “Ya Hussein” imagery to frame modern conflicts through the symbolism of Karbala, portraying them as a continuation of Hussein’s stand against injustice.
The flag has been prominently displayed after other major events such as the killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in 2020, serving as a symbol of martyrdom, resistance and, in the regime’s messaging, retaliation. The flag was also draped over Khamenei’s casket in images published last week by his official X account.
The Iranian flag and Hezbollah’s green and yellow flag are also common fixtures in the crowd mourning Khamenei.
Khamenei’s assassination has made him “far more powerful symbolically in death than he was in life,” Sina Toossi, a senior nonresident fellow at the Center of International Policy, previously told CNN.
“Khamenei is now being framed as a martyred religious authority, akin to revered Shia saints who were martyred, whose worldview was vindicated by the manner of his death.”
Khamenei’s funeral falls during the Islamic month of Muharram, when Shia Muslims honor Hussein and his martyrdom.
As part of this week’s commemorations, Khamenei’s body will be transported to the Shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq, the same site as the famous battle, before he is buried at the Imam Reza shrine, in Mashhad, Khamenei’s hometown.
Mostafa Salem contributed reporting.
