Reuters Blogs

FaithWorld

Religion, faith and ethics

03:41 February 1st, 2008

Looking past the blood at Ashura

Posted by: Tom Heneghan
Tags: FaithWorld, , , ,

A Pakistani Shi’ite at Ashura rituals in Lahore, Pakistan, 20 Jan. 2008/Mohsin RazaAshura, the Shi’ite day of mourning for Mohammad’s martyred grandson Hussein, is so marked by bloody scenes of self-flagellating men that news reports about it rarely get beyond the vivid images (like our photo from Lahore on the right). Jack Fairweather has produced a fascinating short video that asks the question usually missed — what really motivates people to do this? — and follows one man who explains his feelings and joins in the ritual. This is the first part of a series on the Washington Post PostGlobal site meant “to challenge our perceptions of Islam as a monolithic and extremist creed.” If Fairweather keeps it as up close and personal as this, it should be very good.

7 comments so far

[...] But if it turns out that Jackson did convert to Islam, I wonder if he will adapt some of his old songs to conform with his new beliefs. I am guessing Beat It may be a prime contender. [...]

- Posted by Global Voices Online » Michael Jackson ‘Converts’ to Islam

Ashura isn’t a ceremony to do extremist ritual, it is a day to remember of bravery and chivalry. this extremist ritual are only some anagrams in Islam. you must know that the reason of progress of technology is islam and it’s encourage to learning

- Posted by hannan komari

shiism is different from islam,it is a political ideology.

- Posted by obaid

Islam has more than 70 type of belives.
Shia belive to peace for all who dont reversal humanity, free for all who dont reversal gentry of moral ,
islam try to aid whom people that are under injustice.
spirit of islam is very very beautiful and gentle .
Islam is totally spirit of equanimity.

- Posted by zahra

as a shi’a , i don’t belief this activities.
some of this people that shown in pictures and harm himself don’t belief , ISLAM don’t permit any body harm himself even for hossein ( sallalah alayk ).
they have permission to battle with tyranny and cruelty untile they waste his life but this unwise activities is ineligible .
I hope this persons that lost his way to allah by loving hossein ( sallallah alay ) getup and know hossein is caller toward god no toward him. we should obey method and manner of him and his family to battle with cruelty .

- Posted by alizadeh

[...] agar  dengan seturut dengan kepercayaan barunya? Aku rasa “Beat it” akan menjadi lagu pertama yang akan [...]

- Posted by Global Voices dalam bahasa Indonesia » Timur Tengah: Michael Jackson Mualaf

I totally agree comment above me Mr/Miss alizadeh. yes it is true their is nothing like this in Islam.

- Posted by 3D Design

Post Your Comment

*
To prove you're a person (not a spam script), type the security word shown in the picture. Click on the picture to hear an audio file of the word.
Click to hear an audio file of the anti-spam word

House Rules:
  • We moderate all comments and will publish everything that advances the post directly or with relevant tangential information
  • We try not to publish comments that we think are offensive or appear to pass you off as another person, and we will be conservative if comments may be considered libelous information.