Word: ashura
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Iraqis weren’t alone in the bloodletting, which takes place annually in Lebanon, Iran, and other parts of the Shiite world as part of Ashura, the holiday which commemorates the martyrdom of the Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammed who Shiites believe should have been recognized as the spiritual leader of Islam at the end of the seventh century...
...they have done in the past, western media outlets covered the event with equal parts fascination and horror. Graphic images of the Ashura procession were the most popular photographs on Yahoo! early last week, and virtually all the major newspapers and television networks eagerly reported on the self-mutilation ritual before it was overshadowed by terror attacks in Karbala and Baghdad later that day. Though the coverage varied in style and tone, the skewed focus on Ashura’s violent rather than religious aspects seemed to reflect the media’s prejudices as much more than the holiday...
...cultural ascetics who haven’t yet seen it, Gibson’s film deals in images that find striking parallels in the standard news coverage of Ashura. Not one bloody detail escapes the attention of Gibson, who, like the BBC, seems to love nothing more than shredded flesh and the sight of fresh blood streaming down the forehead of a young Middle Eastern man. Based on The Gospel of Mel, Jesus’ torture seems to have been far more important than his actual teachings or moral legacy, two subjects which are hardly treated...
...campaign of intimidation has continued. In mid-July a grenade exploded in one of the Roman temples, again routing the tourists. When three buses from the Christian coastal town of Jounieh arrived during the Muslim feast of Ashura last month, Hizballah followers blocked the road and told the visitors to leave on the grounds that the Muslims were mourning the martyred 7th century Imam Hussein...
...lion's share of modern Saudi Arabia's oil wealth and received little in return. The situation further improved in 1985 when the brutal administration in the province of the bin Jaluwi family was replaced by Mohammed bin Fahd, a former businessman and a . son of the King. Still, Ashura continues to be a time when grievances surface: demonstrations were put down violently again in late 1985. Just last year scores of Shi'ites mourning the death of Khomeini were arrested and interrogated, some remaining in jail for nine months. "It is better now," concedes a Shi'ite. "But just...