The Future is Now: Drones, Cameras, Screens, and the Technological Moderation of Shi'a Muslim Mourning

Annual commemorations of the death of Husayn ibn Ali, Shi’a Muslims’ Third Imam and Muhammad’s grandson, are the world’s largest, transnational, public mourning ritual. Across India, thousands of Shi’a Muslims gather during Muharram to engage in chest beating (ma’atam), processions (juloos), the ambulation of replica medieval battle standards (alams), and more. In particular, juloos and ma’atam practices become sites for technological mediation. Drones, large videocameras, and smartphones enable organizations and individuals to livestream, share, or document the experience to and for absent others – whether out of diasporic distance, safety concerns, or otherwise. Indeed, the digitization of these events are in stark contrast to their otherwise embodied, sensorial, and community foci. How does technological mediation anticipate the future of Shi’a Muslim mourning? Drawing on my 2024-25 fieldwork in Lucknow, Hyderabad, and Kolkata, I argue that mediatization is both practical and expansive, ultimately facilitating a global Shi’a consciousness.