Ashura around the world

Julien — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:59:02 +0100

Throughout the Middle East last week, Shia Muslims were dancing in the streets chanting ‘ô Hussein' in commemoration of the martyr Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who died in 680 AD. During the ceremony, many participants had blood seeping from their backs and chests as they cut themselves with knives, whips and chains in order to share the pain of their martyr, killed in the battle of Karbala together with 72 of his family members. During the battle, said to be one of the most important in Muslim history, Hussein was defeated by the military force of Yazid I, the Umayyad caliph.

A predominantly Shia event, but also celebrated by Sunni Muslims, the festival aggravated tensions between the two sides and caused violent outbreaks in Iraq. However, the celebration of mourning went ahead as usual elsewhere- even in Washington and London- although not with quite the same flamboyance as in Middle Eastern countries. See the videos and commentary below.