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Police Detain Ashoura Mourners In central Iran
Police detain Ashoura mourners for self-mutilation in central Iran
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Police in the central Iranian city of Isfahan detained a large number of mourners for mutilating themselves during ceremonies commemorating the death of a revered Shiite figure, the official IRNA news agency reported Sunday.
Every year millions of Iranian Shiites pour into the streets for Ashoura, marking the 7th century death of Prophet Muhammad's grandson Imam Hussein, and many flagellate themselves in memory of his suffering.
Some take it to the extreme of self-mutilation using knives and other sharp objects to show their deep piety, but the practice is considered illegal by religious authorities.
"These people were disturbing the public order," said police spokesman Col. Alinaqi Alavi in Isfahan, according to the agency. "They were using daggers as well as slashing their shoulders with spiked chains."
Alavi did not say how many people were detained, but local papers on Sunday put the number at around 90.
During the ceremony, mourners will march and strike their heads with daggers for hours to create a swelling which they eventually pierce with their knife so it bleeds.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Police in the central Iranian city of Isfahan detained a large number of mourners for mutilating themselves during ceremonies commemorating the death of a revered Shiite figure, the official IRNA news agency reported Sunday.
Every year millions of Iranian Shiites pour into the streets for Ashoura, marking the 7th century death of Prophet Muhammad's grandson Imam Hussein, and many flagellate themselves in memory of his suffering.
Some take it to the extreme of self-mutilation using knives and other sharp objects to show their deep piety, but the practice is considered illegal by religious authorities.
"These people were disturbing the public order," said police spokesman Col. Alinaqi Alavi in Isfahan, according to the agency. "They were using daggers as well as slashing their shoulders with spiked chains."
Alavi did not say how many people were detained, but local papers on Sunday put the number at around 90.
During the ceremony, mourners will march and strike their heads with daggers for hours to create a swelling which they eventually pierce with their knife so it bleeds.