Starting Ashura Festival Off Right - Suicide Bomber Detonates Inside Mosque
So this weekend starts the Ashura festival where the Shia whack themselves with various instruments and let the blood flow…Sunni outnumber Shia 4 to 1 in Pakistan, and they usually see this time of year as “Time to Kill Shia Festival”.
Freakin’ animals.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - A suicide bomber fired gunshots then blew himself up at a Shiite mosque in Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least seven people and injuring 20 others, authorities and witnesses said.
The blast came as minority Shiite Muslims prepared to mark the Ashoura festival, which is often marred by sectarian violence involving rival Sunnis.
Arshad Ali, whose brother died in the blast, said the attacker was a man aged about 18 who walked into the crowded Imambargah Qasim Baig mosque, opened fire with a pistol and then blew himself up.
“People present there tried to stop him. He took out a pistol, shot three times and then blew himself up,” Ali said, wailing and beating his chest in grief.
Peshawar police chief Tanvir Sipra said seven people including one policeman who tried to stop the bomber from entering the mosque were killed and a few policewomen were among the wounded.
A crowd of enraged Shiites, crying and beating their chests, prevented an Associated Press reporter from reaching the scene. Police also had difficulty approaching the mosque.
The blast in Peshawar occurred when the Imambargah Qasim Baig mosque was crowded with worshippers.
Ashoura, which falls this weekend, is the culmination of Shiite rites during the holy month of Muharram when they mourn the seventh century death of the prophet Mohammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein — an event that led to the split in Islam between the Shiite and Sunni sects.
Shiites stage processions and beat their bare backs with chains and blades, bloodying themselves in a sign of penitence.
Such violence breaks out during Muharram each year. In 2005, about 50 people were killed when a bomb ripped through a Shiite shrine in southwestern Pakistan.
In a prerecorded appearance on state television, aired late Thursday, President Pervez Musharraf described suicide attackers as “mad” and misguided into thinking they were serving Islam.
(AP)
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Silly savages.
January 17th, 2008 at 9:42 amReminds me of the “Pentinents” during the Dark Ages? Are these medeval people or what? If these goatdicklickers ever take over the world they would throw out 1500 years of progress. Is this really what the civilized world wants?
Better wake the fook up Libistan…cause this is your future if you don’t wake up and ruck up real damn soon.
January 17th, 2008 at 9:45 amDo the words “child abuse” mean anything to you.
I don’t think this concept even exists in the muslim part of the world. That would include “spousal abuse” as well.
Jeesh.
January 17th, 2008 at 9:57 am@Reign in blood, thats exactly what i was thinking. cutting a babys forehead with a giant knife while blood runs down his face. all i can is wow!
Im getting sick of this “moderate muslim” bullshit! Anyone who can be considered a moderate muslim are just people who are not religious but live in a muslim country. If you subscribe to this death cult down to the book then you are undoubtedly a savage like the rest.
January 17th, 2008 at 10:45 amCatholics do a similar thing in Spain, Portugal, Italy, etc.. iirc. Dress up in robes and beat themselves bloody with flails walking down the street.
At least they don’t blow themselves up though.
January 17th, 2008 at 10:53 amIndy, your mixing with the corridas, never heard of that there ; It could be more in the “philipano” places though !
January 17th, 2008 at 11:22 amFranchie, I think you’re right, that would have made the news if it was in Europe. I’ve seen reports of that though in the Phillipines. There’s also a crucifixtion or two.
January 17th, 2008 at 11:31 amIt happens, it’s just not an annual thing, but every 7 years. Google Guardia Sanframondi. The Phillipines are a bit more hardcore about it from what I understand.
…the wierd shit you learn being raised Catholic… probably explains why I’m an atheist now…
Anyways, at least the christians are a good 500 years ahead of the Muslims. Ritualistic carving on a baby is fucking nuts.
January 17th, 2008 at 11:46 amIndy,
your right,
http://alfonsoelia.altervista.org/GSF_index/GSFindex.html
well, The Napolitans and their province have always had an ostentatory way of practicing their religion ; seems that they are remains from the antiquity and middle-age celebrations, and may-be exploited for increasing the tourism industry.
dunno if they use a sponge full of blood or red wine though ; I dn’t find a more precise description
January 17th, 2008 at 12:13 pmIt depends on the type of flagellation. The first penitents beat their backs… and afaik, just go about their business beating on themselves. There aren’t many of those.
The next group merges into the parade, and they beat on their chests with sponges, which isn’t actually a sponge, but cork with pins in it. They have some sort of handler that follows them and poors wine on the wounds.. probably as a disinfectant from earlier times.
Then the kids show up dressed in black and pretend to beat on themselves, but afaik, don’t draw blood.
I caught a history channel special on this once upon a time. Not that it’s the an accurate source… but at least its entertaining.
January 17th, 2008 at 12:32 pmThey’re all nuts!
January 17th, 2008 at 2:21 pmRegardless of the religion, whacking yourself in the head until you bleed is freaking rediculours.
January 17th, 2008 at 3:00 pmAny time, anyway you can make a musleeeem bleed, it’s a good day.
January 17th, 2008 at 4:01 pm