Every year Muslims around the world mourn the tragic massacre of Prophet Muhammad’s family by the Umayyad Caliph of Damascus in the late 600s. Some take to the streets and bloody themselves with swords, daggers, hammers and chains in a display of frightening self-flagellation.
Does this practice have a place in the 21st century and in Europe and North America? Wherever it occurs, pictures travel as is this montage from the Daily Mail of the UK.
Can we Muslim blame non-Muslims from judging us as primitive and barbaric when we slit the heads of our own sons to make the terrified kid bleed as an act of self-flagellation? Then we complain of Islamophobia?
I look at your smile on the top corner of the page… after looking at these Ashura photos, I can’t help but laugh. I looked for this year’s Ashura ‘bloody’ videos, they’re not online yet. Only the ceremonies and a few marches, but not the ritual itself. There were a few doozies last year that would scare the hell out of anyone.
What is unacceptable: the kids that witness and take part in this. Too much blood for a child. Bad bad bad.
Why in Islam, so much of bloodshed is there? Why can’t they bring changes in Islam with the time? Almost all religions have gone through changes with time and have learnt to coexist with other religions. Why does Muslims always think their religion is in danger? Isn’t artificial? When I looked at these images, I was thinking what are they teaching their kids? Aren’t they teaching kids to hate others who don’t follow there faith? I have so many question but don’t where to get answers.
can’t Shia muslims mourn in a civilized way ? Blood less mourning !
Islam = bloodshed, bombing, firing, massacre, slaughter, suicide bombing.
Most religions have caused division in all the societies. This is 21st century and religions as devised by MEN are no longer needed and need to be reformed, as many have, to help those in need. Teaching kids to bleed for any reason and to hurt self or others, as most terrorists aim and practice, is not only barbaric but living in the past when humans did not always treated others as humans.
May the intelligent and wise ones in Islam learn from the reforms in other religions and history and wake up for the good of humanity.
Violence solves problems only temporarily and creates more enemies than friends. Let us all and Islamists/Muslims in particular learn to live in peace for good of humanity and the planet we live on.