Oh my god! Explain to me again how Islam claims to be the Religion of Peace? I'd wager these kids might disagree...
(Not for the weak of stomach.)
Posted by Sarah at March 3, 2004 07:24 AMAs I understand it, it's a symbolic gesture for the leader of their sect who died in battle on that day. It's supposedly just a nick, but head wounds bleed like the dickens. Pretty gruesome, but then again so is the ritual cannibalism of the Eucharist (body of Christ, blood of Christ).
Posted by: Ted at March 3, 2004 01:29 PMTed,
Even as an atheist, I find your comparison to the Eucharist to be hard to accept. Mass is not the gross-out event that Ashoura Day is.
If you want to see a real Christian gross-out practice, check out these pictures of crucifixion and flagellation from the Philippines:
http://www.wildcat.co.uk/text/crucifixion.htm
http://www.wildcat.co.uk/text/flagelation.htm