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Bloody displays as Shiites flagellate themselves for Ashoura
This version of Bloody Displays Shiites Flagellate Themselves Ashoura Flna1C7237058 - Breaking News | NBC News Clone was adapted by NBC News Clone to help readers digest key facts more efficiently.
Afghan Shiite Muslims flagellate themselves during an Ashoura procession in Kabul on Nov. 24.S.sabawoon / EPA
By PhotoBlog
GRAPHIC WARNING:This post contains graphic images which some viewers may find disturbing.
Afghan Shiite Muslims flagellate themselves during an Ashoura procession in Kabul on Nov. 24.S.sabawoon / EPA
Each year during Ashoura, Shiite Muslim men & boys whip their backs with chains and cut their heads with knives, drenching themselves in blood to mourn the loss of one of the faith's most revered figures, Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, who was killed in the 7th century battle of Kerbala.
Shiite Muslim worshippers, covered in their own blood from self-inflicted wounds, hold knives during a procession to mark the Muslim festival of Ashoura in Baghdad's Sadr City on Nov. 24.Thaier Al-sudani / ReutersAn Iraqi Shiite Muslim child gashes his forehead with a sword during a ceremony marking Ashoura in Baghdad's Sadr City on Nov. 24.Thaier Al-sudani / ReutersTurkish Shiite women during an Ashoura procession in Istanbul on Nov. 24.Murad Sezer / ReutersBlood runs down the face of a Kashmiri Shiite Muslim as he participates in a procession in Srinagar, India, on Nov. 24.Dar Yasin / AP