The Manifestation of Regional Distinctiveness in the Content and Language of Contemporary Ashura Poetry: Analyzing Iraqi, Egyptian, and Lebanese Poems

As different Arab countries have different sociopolitical conditions, the contemporary Arabic poetry clearly reflects their different perspectives on Imam Hossein and Ashura. This is particularly evident where man is put close to the first century ambience; Ashura shown in various manifestations creates differences in the literature of every nation. Working within a descriptive analytical framework, the present research aims to investigate Ashura poetry in different geographical frames by suggesting a comprehensive review on the poets and their perspectives on Imam Hossein and the event of Ashura. Considering the regional divisions, it also endeavors to clarify the effect of regional differences in dealing with the subject. Given the extent of Arab lands and Arab countries differences in terms of their social and political conditions, three countries of Iraq, Egypt, and Lebanon, as the major centers of Arabic literature have been selected. The results of the study reveal that contemporary Iraqi and Lebanese poets use prominent Ashura concepts and themes to demonstrate contemporary challenges in the Arab world. Their poems are also characterized by explicitness and symbolism. It was also found that the Lebanese poetry displays a heroic and revolutionary look at Ashura event. The Egyptian poetry, on the other hand, was found to have a rather minor and symbolic role in reflecting the current challenging situations.