Polit­i­cal polar­iza­tion dom­i­nated the com­mem­o­ra­tion of Ashura cer­e­monies this year, but the remark­able issue is the par­tic­i­pa­tion of sec­u­lar par­ties in the mourn­ing parades.

Iraqi Com­mu­nist Party par­tic­i­pated in the pub­lic mourn­ing Ashura cer­e­monies, party mem­bers and sup­port­ers car­ried ban­ners “the with the clean hands do not for­get the blood of Hussein”.

Most of the polit­i­cal par­ties are try­ing to influ­ence and attract­ing vot­ers through the num­ber announced by the IHEC to the par­tic­i­pates which timed with this Shi­ite reli­gious occa­sion, Dr. Ayad Allawi’s Al-Iraqiya List was the “biggest win­ner”, his polit­i­cal bloc got the num­ber (333).

The three repeated dig­its num­ber was a source of opti­mism for many of the list mem­bers, who see it as a good omen to win many votes in the com­ing elec­tion, where the num­ber “555” is asso­ci­ated with United Iraqi Alliance in the last elec­tion who won the high­est per­cent­age of votes allowed them to select the Prime Minister.

Other num­bers (link to the Ara­bic list of num­bers, win­dows Doc):

- “State of Low” — Maliki — 337

- “Kur­dish Alliance” — 372

- “INA” (Shi­ite Coali­tion) — 316

- “Iraq’s Unity” — Jawad Al-Boulani — 348

- “Al-Tawafiq” (Accor­dance) — 338

- “People’s Union” (Com­mu­nist Party) — 363

Related to the above sub­ject, Sami Moubayed’s “Clear losers and win­ners in Bagh­dad”, and why he thinks that Maliki’s “State of Law” and Boulani’s “Iraqi United Alliance” are the biggest losers in the election.

Also a good read, Nicola Nasser’s “U.S. Cre­ates Its Antithe­sis in Iraq”.