KARBALA, Iraq (Reuters) -Majid al-Kareem is poorly equipped for his 500 km pilgrimage by foot through the scorching deserts of southern Iraq. He wears sandals and black clothes that absorb the heat, and carries a wooden broom handle for a walking stick.

But suffering is the point.

His journey mourns and glorifies the Muslim Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Hussein, slain in battle nearly 1,400 years ago at the end of this very route.

Kareem begins at the furthest possible starting point, at Ras al-Bisha in southern Iraq. He stands in the sands of the Persian Gulf before setting off north towards his goal, the holy city of Karbala, where Hussein died and where his shrine now stands. Kareem will be on the road for 22 days.

It is a tiring start for the 58-year-old. The hot wind that blows through the southern Iraqi deserts and........

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