About

Imam Husayn Ibn Ali (peace be upon him) was the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Some 50 years after the Prophet’s death, a despotic ruler named Yazid took the seat of political power and demanded that Imam Husayn give him allegiance. Not wanting conflict, Imam Husayn left his home with his friends and family, including women and children, to live in peace elsewhere. Instead, he was intercepted by Yazid’s army and diverted to a place named Karbala, in present day Iraq. This is where he was killed at the bank of the Euphrates River along with all 72 of his supporters while standing resolutely on his principles against the tyrannical ruler and his army of 30,000-100,000 troops, according to historians. After the massacre that she saw with her own eyes, it was his brave sister Lady Zaynab who confronted Yazid in his own court and made a famous speech to denounce him. She refused to be silenced in the face of imprisonment and oppression and spread the story and message of her brother Husayn far and wide. And to this day, every year on the day of the epic battle known as Ashura, hundreds of millions of people across the world commemorate the tragedy of Karbala by gathering to hear a recounting of the timeless and heroic story. It is a method of spiritual rejuvenation and reviving the revolutionary spirit within all of us, and reminds us that achieving justice is a goal that requires courage, determination, and great sacrifice.

The Silent March for Justice is modeled after a 100-year old tradition called the Chup Taziya that originated in Lucknow, India where even today, hundreds of thousands of people of all faiths – Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, and Christians – gather and march in silence to honor the heroic stand of Imam Husayn. The Silent March for Justice  brings this dramatic and dignified tradition here to Princeton from across the world. This is an opportunity for people of all faiths to renew their commitment to standing against injustice and oppression wherever it is taking place. Imam Husayn provides a universal model for justice for all humanity and inspires us to find the courage within ourselves to stand for what is right against all odds.

Silence is a virtue in the Islamic ethical tradition, known in Arabic as "samt." The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him and his family, encouraged his followers to "speak good or remain silent." Treatises regarding the virtues of silence were composed in both the Shi'i and Sunni traditions, and for centuries teachers of Islamic spirituality encouraged their students to take limited and temporary vows of silence. This was seen as a practical component of spiritual development, always geared towards the higher goal of embodying the prophetic way in the public sphere. As such, more extreme forms of silence, such as those found in monastic and ascetic traditions, were generally discouraged in Islamic thought. 

The Chup Taziya, a silent march emerging from South Asian Shi'i Muslim communities, blends the ethical tradition of samt, often thought of as an individual practice, with the public and communal expressions of allegiance to the Prophet and his family that are found in myriad Muslim cultures around the world. Translated into 21st century American culture, the Chup Taziya is meant to be a form of dignified spiritual resistance to all that draws us away from the individual and collective pursuit of Truth and Justice.