Shiites not making Mazar pilgrimage

Mazar: Iraqi Shiites did not make their customary annual pilgrimage to a holy shrine in southern Jordan on Sunday amid rising Sunni and Shiite Muslim tensions following Saddam Hussain's execution.

Hundreds of Shiites from Iraq as well as Iran usually visit the shrine of Jaafar Bin Abi Taleb, one of the Prophet Mohammad's (PBUH) companions, in the town of Mazar for a sermon for Ashura, which commemorates the 7th century death of Imam Hussain. His death began the schism between Sunnis and Shiites.

"We were expecting some visitors, like last year's 1,500 visitors, tonight, but strangely, no one showed up," said a religious official at the site who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to make statements to the press.

Following Saddam's hanging, residents of Mazar as well as the nearby city of Kerak threatened to avenge the former Iraqi dictator's death against Iraqi Shiites.

They blamed the hanging of Saddam, a Sunni, on the Shiite-led government in Iraq. Kerak also is known to have some political activists who sympathise with Saddam's disbanded Arab Baathist party.

Security was tight at the site with dozens of anti-riot police standing guard outside the white and yellow, gold-plated tomb, which is part of a compound housing a mosque and other tombs of the Prophet's companions.

At the entrance of Mazar, police set up roadblocks, checking people's identification and searching cars.