Use in Political Protest
Arba'een has sometimes been used as a political protest, at least in Iran. It was first used there to protest the killing of supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini in Qom on June 5, 1963 when a general strike was announced. A cycle of Arba'een public observance of mourning rituals of martyred protestors — where an arba'een public observance/demonstration was held to commemorate protesters killed in the preceding Arba'een protest demonstration — is often credited as part of the reason for the success of the Iranian Revolution in overthrowing the shah in the 1978-78, although that explanation has also been questioned.
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