1977 Shia uprising in Iraq
Date February 4-9 1977 Location Najaf & Karbala, Iraq Result Uprisings failed
Belligerents
Ba'athist Iraq	Iraqi rebels
Commanders and leaders
Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr	No centralised leadership

The 1977 Shia protests in Iraq, or the Safar uprising, were a series of demonstrations and riots against the Iraqi government in Karbala and Najaf Governorates, the demonstrations started on 4 February 1977 and finished on 9 February in the same year.^[1][2] Demonstrators had taken to the streets to demonstrate against the Iraqi government because they had blocked Arbaʽeen Pilgrimage.^[1][3] The Iraqi security forces killed and arrested many protesters and presented them to trial in a revolution court, the revolution court declared execution for eight demonstrators and life imprisonment for 16 demonstrators.^[4]

On 17 July 1968 the Ba'athism took power in Iraq, Ba'athism is an Arab nationalist and Arab socialist ideology that promotes the development and creation of a unified Arab state. In 1977, Ba'athism attempted to ban an annual pilgrimage to Karbala as well as attempted to ban religious processions.^[5] This move sparked protests, with the pilgrimage transforming into the 1977 Safar uprising in holy shia citys.^[6][7]

• 4 February: In Najaf city, many protesters went out in the street and were blocked from going to Karbala for Arbaʽeen Pilgrimagee.^[8] The protesters stayed in Khan Al-Musala (Al-Rube) for the night^[8]
• 5 February: The protesters arrived Al-Haydreyah (Khan Al-Nus), a small town located north of Najaf. The protesters stayed there that night^[8]
• 6 February: In Al-Haydreyah town, one protester was killed. His name was Muhammed Al-Mayali. He was killed after violent clashes between protesters and Iraqi security forces.^[8][9] The protesters set many police offices on fire along the road between Najaf and Karbala. The protesters arrived to Khan Khan al-Rubu' (Khan al-Nukhaylah) and remained there in the night.^[10]
• (7 ,8 and 9) February: The Iraqi government sent the Republican Guard forces and some Iraqi army units to Karbala and Najaf to end the demonstrations and riots.^[10] They were successful in stopping the protests in Karbala and Najaf governorates^[10][11]

1. Jassim Sadiq Al-Irawani
2. Youssef Sattar Al-Asadi
3. Muhammed Said Al-Balagy
4. Najeh Muhammed Karim
5. Sahib Rahim Abu Kalal
6. Abbas Hadi Ajenah
7. Kamil Naji Malo
8. Gazi Judi Khuwayr

^[4]

• The Five Martyrs
• 1979–1980 Shia uprising in Iraq

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v t e Protests and coups in Iraq
OETA (1918–1920)	1919 Mahmud Barzanji revolt
Mandatory Iraq (1920–1932)	1920 Iraqi Revolution
Kingdom of Iraq (1921–1958)	1922 Mahmud Barzanji revolt 1931–1932 Ahmed Barzani revolt 1933 Simele massacre 1935–1936 Iraqi Shia revolts 1936 Iraqi coup d'état 1941 Iraqi coup d'état 1943 Barzani revolt 1948 Al-Wathbah uprising 14 July Revolution (1958)
Iraqi Republic (1958–1968)	1959 Mosul uprising Ramadan Revolution (1963) November 1963 Iraqi coup d'état 1965 Iraqi coup d'état attempt 1966 Iraqi coup d'état attempt 17 July Revolution (1968)
Republic of Iraq (1968–2003)	Second Iraqi–Kurdish War 1977 Shia uprising in Iraq 1979–1980 Shia uprising in Iraq 1983–1986 Kurdish rebellions in Iraq 1991 Iraqi uprisings Iraqi Kurdish Civil War 1996 Iraqi coup d'état attempt 1999 Shia uprising in Iraq
Republic of Iraq (since 2003)	2011 Iraqi protests 2011 Duhok riots 2012–2013 Iraqi protests 2015–2018 Iraqi protests 2019–2021 Iraqi protests 2020 Kurdish protests in Sulaymaniyah Governorate