Editing Hussainiya (section)

==Functions==
The ritual practices conducted at the hussainiya have changed, often depending on local community customs and needs. However, generally these practices involve the commemoration of events surrounding the martyrdom of Imam Hussain and his loyal followers. However, its practices have extended Muharram and Safar to include other activities such as Quran recitation, special ceremonies for Ramadan, charity activities and other religious programs. <ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Islam-World-Religions/dp/0816077452 “Hosayniya”. Encyclopedia of Islam (2009), ed. Juan E. Campo. New York: Checkmark Books]</ref> Since hussainiya serves as a focal point for Shi’i gathering, it also plays a really significant role in consolidation of religious identity specially for Shi’i population in diaspora. <ref>[https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520204041/making-muslim-space-in-north-america-and-europe Vermon James Schubel (1996). “Karbala as Sacred Space among North American Shi'a” in Making Muslim Space in North America and Europe, edited by Barbara Metcalf, 186-203. Berkeley: University of California Press].</ref> 
The recent transformation of hussainiya into political focal points occurred in Iran during the constitutional revolution of 1905-11, a tendency which was later revived by opponents to the rule of Pahlavi. The most significant one is the hussainiya-e Irshad, founded in 1965 in Tehran. It engaged both Ulama and Laity alike and featured the lectures of [[Ali Shari’ati|Ali Shari'ati]]. <ref>[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/%E1%B8%A4OSAYNIYA “Hosayniya”. Encyclopedia Iranica. March 23, 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2009.]</ref>