Ashura

Eighteen of the best sites about the Muslim day of remembrance, Ashura. Know of another site that should be listed here? Leave your suggestion at the bottom of this page. (Related searches: Mohammed Cartoons, Spirituality, Saddam Hussein)

1. Ashura at Religion Facts - Article on the history of Ashura, and the differences between how it is observed among Shi’a Muslims and Sunni Muslims. (www.religionfacts.com)

2. What is Ashura? - BBC profile on the Ashura commemoration, including this line: “Some Shia men seek to emulate the suffering of Hussein by flagellating themselves with chains or cutting their foreheads until blood streams from their bodies.” (news.bbc.co.uk)

3. Happy Ashura Everybody! - Graphic Photos - January 19, 2008 blog post brings together many of the more bloody pictures taken during Ashura ceremonies, and adds sarcastically, “What a beautiful religion.” (sweetness-light.com)

4. Today’s Photo: Iraqi Shiites Flagellate Themselves Before Ashura - January 6, 2009 photo of a man covered in blood as he observes Ashura. (blogs.usatoday.com)

5. Shi’ites Flock to Iraqi City for Start of Ashura - January 6, 2009 article about Ashura in Karbala, Iraq, including the information that security forces were on the lookout for female suicide bombers, after a woman blew herself up earlier in the week and killed 40 people. (www.voanews.com)

6. Day of Ashura at Suite101.com - Overview of the history of Ashura, including quotes from some who consider the self-flagellation that occurs to be against the prophet Muhammad’s teachings. (islamic-practices.suite101.com)

7. Ziyarat Ashura, Arabic and English - As described here: “Imam Muhammad bin Ali Al Baaqir (A.S.) told Alqama ibn Muhammad to recite this dua’a on the day of Ashooraa and whoso recites this Ziyaarat enjoys the status of the Martyrs of Karbala, and gets the recompense like those who go to Karbala to perform Imam Husayn’s Ziyaarat.” Here are the words in English and in Arabic. (www.aimislam.com)

8. Ashura Slideshow - Gallery of photos from the 2007 observance of Ashura in Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon, along with a first-person account of the event. (time-blog.com)

9. Day of Ashura - Wikipedia entry explains what and when the day of Ashura is and how it is commemorated by both Shi’a and Sunni people. According the entry, “Ashura is also commemorated by Muslims as the traditional date on which Noah’s Ark came to rest and the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) was born.” (en.wikipedia.org)

10. Ashura.com - What is Ashura? Who is Hussain? Why remember Ashura? All these questions are answered here. (www.ashura.com)

11. Festival of Ashura in New York City - Gallery of 7 photographs of the Ashura ceremonies observed in New York in January of 2008, with captions to help explain what the festival is about and what is happening in the pics. (www.nydailynews.com)

12. Ashura in Bangalore - Freelance photographer James Pomerantz offers photographs and a short first person account of an Ashura observance in the Indian city of Bangalore from March, 2006. (digitaljournalist.org)

13. Ashura, An Eternal Saga of Conviction and Courage - January 19, 2008 blog post reprints a story that dramatically tells the tale of Hussein ibn Ali, in order to help explain why Shia Muslims “mourn the martyred Imam Hussein as though the event did not occur a thousand years ago but as if it happened as recently as yesterday.” (hasnain.wordpress.com)

14. A Probe Into the History of Ashura - This 50-chapter book on Ashura by Dr. Ibrahim Ayati is all online for your reading pleasure. (al-islam.org)

15. In pictures: Ashura Festival - BBC feature displays pictures from 2006 Ashura commemorations in several different countries having significant Muslim populations. (news.bbc.co.uk)

16. Bloody Ashura - 2004 story by Steven Vincent in National Review is both a first person account of terrorist violence during the Ashura observance in Karbala and thoughts on the Shia religion in general. (www.nationalreview.com)

17. Ashura (10 Muharram) - Brief summary of Ashura describes it as marking “two historical events: the day Nuh (Noah) left the Ark, and the day that Musa (Moses) was saved from the Egyptians by Allah. Shi’a Muslims in particular use the day to commemorate the martyrdom of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet (pbuh), in 680 CE.” (www.bbc.co.uk)

18. Ashura at Looklex Encyclopedia - Article explains the religious festival of Ashura as observed by Shi’i Muslims and Sunni Muslims. (i-cias.com)