Today is February 9, 2006 and you know what that means. It’s time to commemorate the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala in the year 61 AH (AD 680). This tradition is better known as Ashura and is very popular amongst Shia Muslims. Many choose to spend the day performing mourning rituals or passion plays re-enacting the martyrdom. While most people march through the streets beating their chest, others emulate the suffering of Husayn by flagellating themselves with chains or cutting their foreheads until blood streams from their bodies.
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mentalists
Oh, I prefered never to see this. I’m out of here.
Hmm, sorta reminds me of Holiday shopping here in the US. Which for some reason, I think is linked with religion.
Well, just not as much blood here in the States, but still people getting hurt in mass crowds and mobs.
wow, that’s a bit extreme. Though I am supportive of being sad during this time of morning for what happened to Imam Husain was horrible I am not supportive of these types of over the top rituals.
this that parade where they throw tomatoes left over from an overgrown harvest at each other? needs salt
horrible! it is totally stupid, this ASHURA day is a special one because it is related to prophet moses ,that is true that at the same day al-hussien died
but anyway it is unacceptable to harm and bleed each others,everyone should respect his body
it is out of islam..it is a tradition in shiaa areas ,but not a worship by the way
say, illini newspaper in chicago ran the cartoons, saw it on tv just now. WGN channel 9 chicago
ı am muslim. but it is out of islam.
this is wildnes and masochism. this pictures is not suitable for islam. I hope allah gives to find the right way them.
lmao!!! that is #$*&@^@ed up!!
just remember that these are shia “muslims”
absolutely idiots
Uh, ppl, those pictures are fake.
How are they fake David? Please share it with the rest of.
gasmonso
its a ceremony which they use artificial blood according to tell the crime which took place in KARBALA.The sunnis killed innocent people hundred years ago near Baghdad.Please search KARBALA.And the suicide bombers are Sunnis not Shias.Dont be so funny first learn about islam traditions.Sunnis killed Shias several times and this is a theater ceremony for those.Sunnis are very strict go and have some information using KARBALA and Shia on the net.
These pictures are not fake. I have also seen this ceremony featured in a documentary but I can’t remember the name of it. They are real cuts.
They were even cutting the heads of childred and babies – babies whos skulls havent even fully formed to yet.
Idiots, complete idiots….
I found the documentary, it’s called “In the name of God – Scenes from the Extreme”
Info at the link below
http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyesunday/feature_191003.html
the whole shiitism has nothing to do with islam http://shiism.blogspot.com/
Almost as bizarre as chopping off the end of *someone else’s* foreskin ?
Almost as bizarre as the ritual drinking of blood and eating flesh of your prophet ?
Almost as bizarre as piercing your nipples, risking horrible infections, just for fashion ?
Almost as bizarre as deliberately poisoning yourself, several times a day, by inhaling toxic chemicals from your cigarrette ?
Shop around, there’s plenty of self abuse to choose from. I just listed a few that might be familiar to the western mind.
Leave these people alone, don’t pretend self righteousness to judge them.
Do they personally inflict this on you ?
I am all for self abuse – everybody should be free to do whatever they want to their own bodies.
What I don’t agree with is this idiocy being inflicted on innocent children.
I don’t give my children cigarettes, their forskins are all intact and they have no piercings at all.
Shia’s are not Muslim, and this has nothing to do with Islam. Prophet Muhammad never did this, neither did any of his companions.
Every innovation is misguidance, and those who are misguided will end up in the fire.
May Allah save us from misguidance, Ameen!
Abdul Aziz,
are U kidding – Shias are as Muslim as you are – the victim of the most horendous, hypocritical, so called religion. You and people like you are a typical example what can religion do to the human beings – making them blind, fanatical, intolerant and soaked with hate.
Wake up and be a normal human being. We all are one family on this planet…we do not god or prophet or anyone like that to enjoy life and share it with other living creatures!
I am not muslim, but I have observed that shiite muslims are particularly bizarre. They include alot of weird pagan practices into their religion, which is quite different from the sunni muslims. Shiites are real big on demonic rituals, and big on praying to “saints” or whatever they call them. If you want an incite on shiites I recommend the documentary “Mystic Iran”.
We have to nuke them NOW before it’s too late.
I am a muslim, just let me confirm, this is really STUPID! There’s no celebration for the death of anyone in islam.
This day is related to prophet Moses when he crossed the sea. And muslims should’nt feel happy nor sad for that.
True shiist are mostly ennemies of islam.
Um, sorry to burst your bubble, but yes, Shias are muslims. I think some of you need to remember Husayn’s sacrifice of his livelyhood, his own life, that of his own children (young and old), and the honor of his sister bibi Zainab for the sake of islam, or else YoU all would be practicing a morbid and perverted Yazidi version of Islam, which would not be islam at all.
Every human has a right to express his grief. The shias have been victims of hostility for over a thousand years, but the revolution lives on with ‘ Ya Hussain’.
There are no ‘pagan’ rituals practiced on Ashura by Shias, the grief expressed is nowhere near that of Prophet Muhammad’s grief when told of his grandsons violent sacrifice.
The wahabis are afraid. Thats all this is about.
Shias are muslims even though they differ in many practices from the Sunnis.
I don’t want to discuss the differences in detail on this site but accusations by some Sunnis that the Shia are disbelievers or vice versa (as I see in above comments) are wrong and as far as Islam is concerned not to be done casually.
I was just reading the comments, and was quite surprised to read what some people have been posting.
I would like to clarify some thigns.
First of all, off of the bat, I am shiite.
-No, we do not do demonic rituals or any of that crap.
-The only book that we adhere to is the Koran
-The Prophet is Muhammed
Regarding the self flagullation, it is practiced by many other faiths, including Christianity, just do a google search and see for yourself.
I remember going to the Ashura commemerations when I was younger, and saw people doing that to themselves. No one forced them to do it, it was all their personal choices, though I don’t agree with them cutting infants.
There is a small trend growing to donate blood instead of beating oneself, which I’m happy to see.
Ashura is a time where Shia Muslims mourn over the martyrdom of their Imam Hussein (as). While the majority of them attend lectures and seminars and engage in crying, others take it to the extreme and believe that they should go through what he went through in order to fully appreciate him and what he did. I’ve never actually seen this happen with my real eyes but when I do see them on the net I am totally horrified. It’s true that it is forbidden in Islam to harm ones self so I have no idea why they would do it but each individual interprets things differently.
And by the way, whoever Luke is, and wherever you got that site from, and whoever reads it, should know that everything on there is absolute BULLSH*T! Not one of those articles are true. Some sad case who dislikes shia’s made all that up to make them look bad and sadly, many people who are ignorant of the truth believe it.
I’m just shocked at how low people can get.
Shias and Sunnis are both Muslims, there are differences but that doesn’t mean that they are two different religions, they believe in basically the same things, and they practice the same things too. You can’t blame the whole Shia community for this, like I said earlier, some take it to the extreme and some don’t, just like in every other religion. There’s good and bad everywhere and it really annoys me when people blame other peoples wrong actions on the religion. Islam does NOT tell muslims to kill non-believers or anything like that. I urge people who have doubts about what Islam is really about, to do some research from RELIABLE sources.
Otherwise, leave Islam alone, I never see people criticising what Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists do, or any other religion for that matter. Why is it that Islam is ALWAYS targeted?!
Everyone should just accept the beliefs of others around them and should just focus on that person’s personality. A religion is supposed to be between an individual and their God.
And that’s all. So please be respectful towards others, and this goes for everyone.
for hanan .
salam
every day ashora day must be the day of donating blood in the sheaa community,you know just simple calculation,there is a milions of liters which can be used in order to save people,many people in the world and escpicially in the thierd world die from illneses concerning blood shortage while more than 400 milion people injure them self to initiate their beleifs.
May Allah forgive me for what I have to say.
A few years ago I converted (from nothing) to Islam. I had read the Quran before and was happy with the words of God/Allah. When I went into the world to live islam I felt uncormfortable to be a muslim and grew more and more ashamed to be one. I felt the spirit of the Quran or anything like that cannot be found anywhere among muslims. Instead of hope, faith or love I find quarrel about rules; self-assumed righteousness about which hadith/traditions are valid and which are false and hatred between sects. Many brothers and sisters chant the Quran without knowing the meaning of the words in their own language, just like parrots sing their song. And they know, they all know, but no one feels and no one changes his way of life. No one, no one I met, lives Quranic.
It is this refusal to think for one selves, this reluctance to change and resistance to knowledge and foremost lack of respect to Allah which makes me cry and wonder if my only option is to renounce islam.
You ask, Why is it that Islam is ALWAYS targeted? Well, maybe it is just because of that. The refusal to consider even the posibility that the cause of hatred towards islam is the behaviour of muslims themselves.
Because abberations like 9/11 or these Shia self-mutilations (fake or not!) are done away with on ground that thay are done by despicable fanatics, strayed sects. You can hear that in words like: these are not (real) muslims. You can hear that in words like: You can’t blame the whole Shia (/muslim) community for this.
If my son steals some fruit, I will have to act. And so have muslims. The muslim community has the obligation to act if one (or many) of their brothers goes astray. You want to fight about who is the right? You dont have to fight about who is right and who is wrong. If I dont correct my son I am to blame and I dont earn any respect. If I act but cant get my son to understand I fail as a father; but in that case at least I showed responsibility and so will be accepted by the world.
When I saw the pictures above I felt ashamed again to be a muslim. I feel horrified. Horrified not by the people who perform these rituals, but horrifed by their muslim brothers who actually allow them to continue doing so.
I have not met a brother yet.
My last refuge is go out and travelling. When I meet you, will you be able to show me Islam?
plzz….wait
every one has seen this pics must know that
shiist>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
not muslims
not muslims
not muslims
not muslims
not muslims
all shia and sunnis are brothers and sisters so dont try seperate us u jews and u americans. we belive in the same god and same holy book.
yeah muslim, its always the jews and americans who are the problem…
@muslim
haha… and it was soooo hard to separate you. we had to work really hard to get sunnis and shiites to kill each other. but worry not, my dear muslim, in the end you’re all the same and will be dealt with in the same way.
To Boris,
Yes, I will agree with you that ever since the beginning of Islam there has been major conflict between the Shia’s and Sunni’s but what many people worldwide do not realise is that at the end of the day, they are both still Muslim, believing in the same God, the same Prophets, the same Holy Book, the same basic principals and so on. And in regard to your comment about ‘being dealt with in the same way’, I would like to let you know that Muslims and Islam will prevail over all religions and will withstand time right up until the End. So whatever your thinking, get it out of your head. Because it is YOU who will be living in hell FOREVER… you got that? FOREVER! Why? You may ask, because of your beliefs that do no good for you and because of the way you critise others when you don’t even have the slightest idea that it is YOUR religion that is corrupt. But… that’s your problem not ours.
“I would like to let you know that Muslims and Islam will prevail over all religions and will withstand time right up until the End.”
Actually hanan, i would like to tell you that mighty Thor will return and seek vengence on those who turned from him. Sounds crazy doesnt it? well theres really no difference between allah and thor in our eyes. If you read anything on this website youd notice the majority of the people here are atheist, so theres no possible way our religion is corrupt, because we dont have one.
irish…
How dare you even compare Thor and Allah! Allah is only alluded to and guessed at in his holy works. The Eddas clearly define the actions of our master Thor and his deeds such as fishing Jormungander the Midgard serpent from the oceans!
May his hammer swing mightily and crack the skulls of his foes on Ragnarok!
Oh, please! Thor is a wanker. The Celestial Teapot wrothfully rains caffeinated fluid upon his pathetic skull daily.
Let him search the heavens and swing his hammer wildly as he might, but I know that he shall NEVER lay a blow on the Celestial Teapot.
And Allah? The dude didn’t even show up. What a Loser!
All hail to Celestial teapot, we who float on a crumpet in the eternal teacup bow down in face of your might.
As it is written in the dangly piece “Must be let to soak for four minutes.” That is the word of the Teapot and it is true.
Death to those who only soak for three minutes or less!!!
no worshippers of thor have ever bothered me on a weekend. or have they ever tried to pass legislation that would influence my daily life. or have they ever attacked my country. in my book:
thor > any abrahamic boogie man
Hmmmmm… Celestial Tea… Let me soak in it for few minutes.
P.S. Everyone is welcome to join.
ummmm this has nothing to do with ashura these freaks are beating themselves to death and in our religion it doesnt say to do that so whatever they re doin they need helpppp big time . that poor baby he’s mom is a freak of natureeee. anyways ashura is not celbrated like that so whatever these people are doinnn its a sin
one more thing i went over the comments that were posted seriously some people need to get a life because shii’s are muslims and whether you like it or not they are. And your denial will not really change what was written down in the quraan and hadith like thousands and thousands of years ago. and i do respect everyones religion because if you look in all those 4 holy books all jews,christians,and muslims believe in the same thing. And yeah by the way pleaseee dont sit there and start threatning or fighting with your keyboord because its just winning the olympics in the end you’re still retarted so not really looking for fights with no one on here. And i do say that these people are shii’s and yeah im from teh same group and religion but this is wronnnnggggggggggg no one should ever do this to themselves and chirldren especially infants. so please guyz understand that not all shiis believe in this and our religion doesnt say to do this what so ever extremist just give us a bad name.
Oh my god… I’m gonna be sick. Couldn’t you have let me live in blissful ignorance of this thread?
@Lilly
I wonder… are there ANY moslems at all who are doing what islam asks them to do? IIRC every single bad thing about islam is said to be from extremists/maniacs, how many groups like these are there?!
On the front page there are 4 topics about people who understood islam in a wrong way and did some crazy thing… Makes me think, perhaps islam is just too vaguely defined for any practical purposes…
lilly said:
so please guyz understand that not all shiis believe in this and our religion doesnt say to do this what so ever extremist just give us a bad name.
I understand that you believe that this is not the way of true Islam, but the people who are doing it believe it is. This site is basically a news and editorial site about religious extremists — people who take their beliefs too far. You aren’t going to see headlines like “Moderate Muslim is a successful parent” or “Guy who goes to Catholic Mass only on Christmas and Easter works at Walmart” because this site is about extremists.
What I would love to hear from you is your support for the claims that these guys are wrong. Maybe some verses from your holy books that would support your stance, historical evidence that this ritual was not practiced by early Muslims, or logical retort to their interpretation of Ashura. We only have one really vocal Muslim regular poster, a chap named Mohamed, and we’d love to have a female perspective.
O God ! Help me to say the truth .
Dear !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am a shia !! why you say about me what you dont know??!!! Do you know me better than me?!( befor being shia, my relegion is “love”.)
Do you beleive in God? Do u beleive all heaven relegions?
I say all heaven relegions have the same message ! all relegions say us : try to get everlife( never die) befor u die ! How it is possible? it is possible only when u get out of your “self” ,( just like a growing seed , the first step of growth(love) is to get out of the shell( self) ).
Do u do,say, see, ear waht satisfy your creator. do u say about Ashura the truth? Do you say what God say about Ashura? do you obey your “self” or your loved( your God) ?
I love all of you. Hossein “had been killed” ! Hossein hate to kill ! hossein like to be burned just like a candle to enlight my and your way to truth. he did what god had ordered ! just like jesus(pbuh). He is actual message of divin books. (just like jesus).
Have you ever seen a christan who hang her neck a cross?! this is the same as emotions of shia and some sunni in Ashura( and some ppl of other religions) . a christian wish ! i wish i were with jesus; so a shia wish! i wish i were with hossein !!
all there sermonies are a symbol only ! when we beat our chest we say :Oh god ! let this stony heart to have frehs water and make me alive.
I say all ppl are brother and sister ! I say “first u then me”.
Hossein teached us the lesson of freedom ! as Gandi ( the Guider of India ppl)said this.
wana know Hossein ? read the poets of Rumi, wana know hossein? try to everclean your heart,to ear the voice of your conscience( your God).
Hossein is the martyr of divin love( as god say in all heaven boodks: “ones who come to God by their money, capitals family and soul” !! )
Hossein say : if u havent a religion, try to be a gentleman and free !!
I say myself: try not to be an insect on the sweetness of this world, try to be a highfly eagle !and see nice harmonies and nice landscapes of truth, see unity, as Zeinab( sister of hossein) said: I didnt see in Ashura but beauties !!
A day befor Ashura, hosseins nefew asked him : o ancle ! am i dead tomorrow? hossein asked, dear! what u define death? the young boy said: for me it is better than golden ring hanged on the chest of a young beauty girl, sweetest than honey !
at the evening of Ashura,the little girl of hossein, whene she was given water , never drinked (after 2-3 days)
, when she saw her father cutten hed,she died at the same moment !!
This is the Exam(test) of Love !! are you a lover? can u do what jesus did? what abraham did with his boy !!
They are a pattern for us !! they say us: try to love eachother for God , not for “self” ! as i do , this is Love !!!!!
sonni is my brother . you are my brother.
Here i cant say more in a little page !!!
The end word: Life is very short, you will ear the Tru( truth) voice soon!! try not to be shamed befor lose opportunity(life, time and chance)!!
Dont say about me ,if u dont know me !!
Your way for you, and mine is for me.