Ashura in Nabatiyeh

The day of Ashura is marked by Muslims as a whole, but for Shia Muslims it is a major religious festival. It is a solemn day mourning the martyrdom of Hussein in 680 AD at Karbala in modern-day Iraq. The killing of Hussein was an event that led to the split in Islam into two main sects: Sunnis and Shias. Day of Ashura in Nabatiyeh is made up of mourning rituals and passion plays plays re-enacting the martyrdom. Shia men and women dressed in black also parade through the streets slapping their chest and chanting. Many Shia men in Nabatiyeh seek to emulate the suffering of Hussein by flagellating themselves with chains or cutting their foreheads until blood streams from their bodies. They also cut foreheads of young boys and babies. Shias consider Hussein (the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed) the third Imam and the rightful successor of Muhammad. Hussein's martyrdom is widely interpreted by Shia as a symbol of the struggle against injustice, tyranny and oppression. Shias believe the Battle of Karbala was between the forces of good and evil. Shias also believe the Battle of Karbala was fought to keep the Muslim religion untainted of any corruptions and they believed the path that Yazid was directing Islam was definitely for his own personal greed. Some Shia leaders and groups discourage the bloodletting, saying it creates a backward and negative image of Shia Muslims. Such leaders encourage people to donate blood. Most Muslims, particularly Sunnis, believe that the Shia practice of matam constitutes 'Bidat' (innovation) and goes against the Quran and Islam. Ashura falls on the 10th of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, January 19, 2008.