Stop bloody Ashura rituals: Lebanon Shiite leader

[struggle4progress]

Says flaying and cutting are a disgrace to Islam
Sunday, 13 January 2008

The leading Lebanese Shiite cleric and spiritual leader of Hezbollah, Ayatollah Mohamed Hussein Fadlallah, has called on his followers and fellow clerics to refrain from traditional Ashura rituals that cause pain or injury to themselves ...

Fadlallah issued a fatwa several years ago ruling that self-injury is prohibited for two reasons -- first, it inflicts pain and damage on body and soul; and second, it tarnishes the image of Muslims, particularly Shiites ...

Tens of thousands of Iraqi troops and police have been deployed in the shrine cities of Karbala and Najaf for the 10-day Ashura ceremony ...

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2008/01/13/44162.html

[Hellenic_Pagan]

1. uhm, isn't Ahserah a pagan goddess?

I thought that Asherah (sp?) was a traditional Middle Eastern Goddess who was the consort of the sky-god...

How did a pagan goddess get to stick around and still be worshipped after all this time? I'm surprised!

While i'm not for self-injury or sacrificing animals, I think that these people should get to worship as they please... i mean, religious freedom is a basic human right.

[struggle4progress]

2. If you have historical evidence linking the Ashura holiday with Asherah worship

do feel free to post it

[Jim__]

5. Asherah is a pagan goddess, but ...

... according to wikipedia this has no connection to `Ashurah:

Some try to connect the Arabic :Ashurah instead to the goddess Athirath/Asherah through the Ashira of Tema. But :Ashurah with initial letter :ain (ﻉ) {the smiley is coming in through some mis-reading of the hex} is difficult to equate with 'Asherah; with beginning 'alef (here indicated by an apostrophe but normally omitted initially in popular transliterations from Semitic languages).

[AndyTiedye]

3. They Figured Out That Most of the Participants Enjoy It

They have issued fatwas against it for decades, but it won't go away.
I think they decided that too many people were enjoying it too much.

[Silent3]

4. Self flagellation, posting on DU-R/T...

What's the difference? :evilgrin:

[Dorian Gray]

6. Hah...

Funny! (Though I do think R/T is way less painful than GD lately!)

[Meshuga]

7. No kidding...

GD and GD: Politics are brutal.

[Dorian Gray]

9. R/T has nothing on the Great Candidate Riots of 2008!

It's sort of fun coming here to get away from the BS!

[maxsolomon]

8. please beat yourselves more

i'd rather that monotheists harm themselves that others.