Ashura

Ashura falls on the 10th day of Muharram and is marked by Muslims all over the world by a day of fasting in order to commemorate the day Noah left the Ark, and the day that Moses was saved from the Egyptians by God. For Shia Muslims this is a particularly solemn day mourning the death of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad in 680 AD at Karbala in modern-day Iraq. This holiday is very signifigant in the evoloution of the Muslim religon it is where the schism the Shia and Sunni sects began.

I guess before I continue I should explain to my readers how the Muslim calender works. We, in the West, use the Gregorian Calender (Jan - Dec). The Gregorian calender that we use was created by Pope Gregory XIII. in 1582, primairly to align the the civil year with the solar, and also the regulation of the time of Easter. The Gregorian calender is fixed which means Christmas (December 25) will always occur in the winter time in the northern hemisphere (it occurs in the summer in the Southern hemisphere) and Easter will always occur in the spring time (it occurs in the fall in the Southern hemisphere).

The Islamic or Hijri calender has twelve months similar to the Gregorian calendar these months are -

1. Muharram


2. Safar


3. Rabi` Awwal


4. Rabi` Thani


5. Jumada Awwal


6. Jumada Thani


7. Rajab


8. Sha`ban


9. Ramadan


10. Shawwal


11. Dhul-Qi`dah


12. Dhul-Hijjah.

However, unlike the Gregorian calandar where every month has between 28-31 days the Hijri calandar is fluid and has either 29 or 30 days depending on the start of the new moon. A fact some may find odd is that a new day via the Hijri calander is at sunset as opposed to the Gregorian calendar where sunrise determins a new day. As a result of months being determined by a new Moon the Hijri calendar has 10 less days than the Gregorian calendar and the months "shift" and can exist in every season. Ramadan is just as likely to happen in the Summer time as it can in the Winter time. Due to all the shifting based on the moons it takes about 33 years for the Islamic dates to rotate through the solar seasons.

Now then back to Ashura, as I said Shia celebrated this day with mourning rituals and passionate plays re-enacting the death of Hussein.

Shia men and women dressed in black also parade through the streets slapping their chests and chanting.

Some Shia men seek to emulate the suffering of Hussein by flagellating themselves with chains or cutting their heads with swords, knives, and scimitars until blood streams from their bodies. I'm sure some of you have seen these displays on TV and it is highly disturbuing (much like sects of Christian snake handlers)these men are literally covered with blood that streams from their heads.

In recent times Shia leaders and groups have spoken out discouraging the bloodletting, saying it creates a backward and negative image of Shia Muslims (Ya think?). Such leaders encourage people to donate blood.

Now then why is Ashura so signfigant? It is a rough equlivant to Martin Luther and his proclimation at the doors of the Church sparking the Protestant Reformation which probably ranks behind the birth of Jesus and the formation of the Catholic church as the most signifant events in Christian history.

As I said earlier the killing of Hussein was an event that led to the split in Islam into two main sects - Sunnis and Shias.

In early Islamic history the Shia were a political faction that supported Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed and the fourth caliph (temporal and spiritual ruler) of the Muslim community.

Ali was murdered in AD 661 and his chief opponent, Muawiya, became caliph. It was Ali's death that led to the great schism between Sunnis and Shias.

Caliph Muawiya was later succeeded by his son Yazid, but Ali's son Hussein refused to accept his legitimacy and fighting between the two resulted.

Hussein and his followers were massacred in battle near Karbala in AD 680.

Both Ali's and Hussein's deaths gave rise to the Shia cult of martyrdom, and to their sense of betrayal and struggle against injustice, oppression and tyranny.

Today, the Shias make up about 15% of the total worldwide Muslim population.

Now then this moment in history gives us two important concepts that we have to deal with today.

1. The concept of martyrdom.
To Westeners we see the willful ending of our lives (suicide) as a one way ticket to hell. Muslims that subscribe to the concept of Martyrdom don't see it as suicide they see it as statement it is the ultimate sacrifice in the fight against injustice, oppression and tyranny. To them it is a noble act. But, with all belief systems when people are inspired by a demagog corruption of the message is not far behind. Demagogery creates homocide bombers not martyrs.

2. What is at the heart of the insurgent attacks in Iraq.
This Iraqi on Iraqi violence goes beyond Saddam or control of Iraq. This cuts right to the heart of Islam. What we are witnessing is not a fight for control of Iraq but, for control of Islam. This is a battle for the ghosts of Hussein and Yazid.

It's too bad really you can look at any crackhead and see what happens to someone when they are intent on chasing ghosts.

At anyrate today's Ashura celebration was peppered with violence in Baghdad which is to be expected due to the fact that Baghdad is still populated with Sunnis. In Karbala,the heart and soul of the celebration, however there were no acts of violence commited against Shia celebrators (aside from them maiming themselves) which means that the insurgents were either unwilling or unable to cordinate and attack against the Shia there. That in itself is a victory for the Iraqi security forces, people, and the US military. It looks like little by litte they are getting the job done.