Originally posted by Eagler
Can you say nutjobs???
Quoting from your own source:
Not all Muslims are pleased with these events, though. Sunnis and many Shiites are quick to point out to eager foreign observers that the practice of shedding blood is not required by Islam. Many Lebanese are concerned that the wide coverage given to these events will be taken as proof of Islamic fanaticism and barbarism, when in fact it is an extremely small portion of the population who practices the blood-letting at Ashoura. Consider the Middle East as a region: Islam is the faith of a significant portion of the population, but not all. Then narrow down the number some more as Islam is divided into several main groups, the two largest being Sunni and Shiite (or Shi'a). Ashoura is exclusively a Shiite holiday, as described above, but this is not the end of it. There are several countries with significant Shiite populations, including Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon--and although Shiites of all nations mark Ashoura, only the Shiite of Lebanon practice the self-mutilation anymore. Other Shiites merely pound on their chests as a sign of sorrow. Then of course within Lebanon there are several divisions of Shiites, based largely on political lines with the two largest parties being Amal and Hizbollah. As stated earlier, only Amal supports this particular practice of Ashoura, and even their supporters primarily turn out for the blood ceremony in only one city in Lebanon--Nabatieh. So, although the streets of Nabatieh are full of the faithful awash in their own blood, the practice is actually quite rare among the Islamic population as a whole--just as the Filipino Catholic devotees who nail themselves to crosses every Good Friday are not representative of the Christian world.
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BTW if you see someone wearing a turban, he'll most likely be Sikh or Hindu. Some don't cut their hair for religious beliefs. the turban is a way to keep the long hair out of the way.
