Ashura is a religious observance marked every year by Muslims. The word Ashura literally means “tenth” in Arabic and it is observed on the tenth day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. For Shi’a Muslims, Ashura commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad, and is a day of mourning. For Sunni Muslims, it is associated with Moses fasted as gratitude for the freedom of the Israelites.