Since the last 30 years, the Shia community in New York has been holding a procession to commemorate the holy month of Muharram. The procession starts from Park Avenue and comes to an end in front of the Pakistani Consulate with over 500 participants and more than 50 volunteers.

This year, the Jafria Association of North America, the Al-Khoei Foundation, and the Mutahidda Quami Movement (MQM) New York chapter were involved in the procession. Spectators were handed out leaflets from volunteers explaining the procession and the significance of the month of Muharram.

A curious on-looker and photographer John Gendall said while watching the procession, "This is really interesting but I am not surprised by it...this is New York."

According to a Pew Research, there are over two million Muslims in the United States and 16 per cent of them belong to the Shia sect. Muharram is a month of remembrance, as it was on the tenth day of this month — known as Ashura — that Hazrat Imam Hussain, the beloved grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), was martyred at Karbala, Iraq. Muharram is also the first month of the Islamic calendar and is considered the holiest month after Ramazan. – Photos and text by Sadef A. Kully/Dawn.com/NY