Ashura About This?
Aussie Dave | Feb 09, 2006 | 15 comments
Seeing the images of blood-soaked Shia Muslims beating and flagellating themselves, I cannot help but ask “Why?”
I mean, I am used to them beating and flagellating other people, but this is self-mutilation.
So I did some research on the Ashura festival, and discovered some very interesting things.
1. Ashura is an ancient observance recognized for different reasons, and observed in different ways, by Sunni and Shia Mulims.
2. The Sunnis have it relatively easy – they fast, but even then, the fast is optional. And why do they fast? It is because of the Joooooooos!
When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in Madinah in 622 CE, he found that the Jews there fasted on Muharram 10 and asked them the reason for their fasting on this day. They said, “This is a blessed day. On this day Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy (in Egypt) and so Prophet Musa [Moses] fasted on this day giving thanks to Allah.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “We are closer to Musa than you are.” He fasted on that day and commanded Muslims to fast on this day. (Al-Bukhari)
The interesting thing – besides the fact that the Muslims wanted to copy us- is that Muharram 10 corresponds to Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. That is the reason for the Jews fasting on this day, and has nothing to do with the Jewish people being saved from Egypt. In fact, the Israelites were saved in the Jewish month of Nissan, which is 6 months after the month in which Yom Kippur falls!
Someone’s telling porky pies..
3. The Shia Muslims mourn the death of Hussein, the grandson of their prophet Muhammad, who was killed on this day, along with 72 companions. Come to think of it, I wonder if these companions were virgins.
In any event, this is the reason why many Shia Muslims beat, flagellate, and mutilate themselves to bloody pulps.
There are also some unsubstantiated rumours, including the following:
Update: AFP reports:
Iraq’s security forces imposed a massive clampdown on Baghdad and the Shiite holy city of Karbala to prevent insurgent attacks on tens of thousands of pilgrims gathering for a major religious ceremony.
Which leads me to the following thoughts:
About the Author
An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.Filed Under: General
There’s a video of this here:
http://somebodyhelpme.info/Blood-letting_in_Lebanon_and_Iraq.avi
Not good!
You usually present a sarcastic view of Islamic terror and Arab nationalist aggression. But this article is simply an exercise in Islamophobia.
It’s below you. Really.
Andrew Brehm.
I totally disagree with you. This was mainly an exercise in mocking a brutal practice (and also raising questions about the origins of some Islamic practices).
I reserve the right to criticize and raise questions. And I don’t appreciate the name-calling.
I’m with you, David!
I figured that you disagree with me.
And what name-calling?
Andrew.
You’re right – you did not call me a name. I reacted to your mention of Islamophobia, which I strenuously deny.
“someone’s been telling porky pies”.
But who ?
I suspect Muslims will argue it was the Jews to Mohamed – by way of mocking his ignorance.
But then, how can a (true) messenger of the Supreme Being be ignorant of Yom Kippur, right ?
Hm… very familiar. Oh that’s right… the Flagellators of Medieval times were Christians who would ceremoniously flagellate themselves (they believed by doing this, they got G-d’s grace and they would be spared the black death), take over other churches forcefully, and then proceed to torture and murder Jews.
And in any event, Dave is not being is Islamophobic… this is a brutal practice.
At any rate… this is point where the Earth officially went to hell: (see below)
Hamas+Russia 4ever
If it were Islamaphobia (fear of Islam), I doubt that David would have posted something like this. He would be hiding under his bed by now with all of the other stuff he has said..
I do not always like your sarcasm, but this time it kind of hit the spot.
Stan
As to bringing up the barbaric practices of Christianity of many hundreds of years ago: That’s a Muslim trick and it is irrelevant. That many many Moslims are STILL barbaric IS the point.
Islamophobia? Yes I fear Islam. Just like I fear any group or person that has sworn to murder or enslave me or indeed, the whole world. I’m much more islamonauseous though than I am islamophobic.
Scott
How does 10 Muharram correspond to Yom Kippur? It can’t if you say it’s in Nissan. I doubt it. Pick yes or no, and stay with it.
Will Islam ever calm down and decide to share the planet with the rest of us … or will we just have to wipe them all out? If they keep going like they are now they will give us no choice. We take their sh*t and take it and take it and they think it’s weekness. It’s not weekness you barbarians. We just don’t want all your deaths on our consciences. But I’m getting closer and closer to just not giving a damn.
This is just plain silly. Since when did Islam become sacred in our eyes? The “prophet” Muhammed was at best a paranoid schizophrenic, and at worst a lying murderer. Is that “islamophobic”? If so, too bad.
The only saving grace of Islam is that they believe in the unity of G-d.
I constantly have to put up with people deriding MY beliefs and challenging what I feel is true, why on Earth should I or anyone else kiss some Muslims ass?
“Islamophobic” indeed!
-ron
Are you sure about 10 Muharram corresponding to Yom Kippur? How does anyone know?
The Jews in Medina could have been fasting on 10th Nissan (which is the original date of the first Shabbat HaGadol) but I haven’t heard of any such minhag – in fact fasting is generally prohibited in Nissan (apart from bride & groom and erev Pesach for firstborns). More likely it’s just more crap from the wholly ridiculous Q’uran
It could very well be a reference to “erev Pesach” as you suggest.
You can read the entire explanation here
But here is the relevant quotation from that page:
“On the other hand, the fact that the Jewish celebration witnessed by Mohammed was a fast does not – as some have argued – exclude Passover. One of the “minor fasts” of the Jewish calendar, the Fast of the Firstborn, occurs the day before Passover begins. This fast, observed by firstborn males (and, according to some authorities, fathers of sons), commemorates the slaying of the firstborn Egyptians and gives thanks that the Jewish children were spared. This is a celebratory rather than a sorrowful fast, and it certainly commemorates a “victory over Moses’ enemy.” It may have been this that Mohammed observed among the Jews of Medina – its observance dates back at least to Talmudic times.