Shia Muslims Self-Flagellate Outside of a U.S. Mosque
Billy Hallowell, TheBlaze — On November 24, Shia Muslims around the world observed the “Day of Ashura,” an annual commemorative event during which adherents remember the life and legacy of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. TheBlaze brought you gruesome footage last Saturday of the mass self-flagellation that some Afghans engaged in to publicly lament Hussein’s 7th century death. Additional clips filled with blood and gore have emerged of similar events that purportedly unfolded in the U.S. as well.The blog Creeping Sharia posted video of one such ritual that was uploaded to YouTube. While, on the surface, there is little information known about the video concerning when and where it was taken, its contents are certainly shocking. The clip, originally uploaded by a YouTube user named “Maveea,” contains no context or additional information aside from a title that reads, “Ashura in St Louis MO.”
In the video, men are first seen exiting a mosque, while chanting and singing (seemingly in Arabic). The group, which includes children, then makes its way to a grassy area, where some of the individuals remove their shirts and begin beating themselves incessantly. The video continues for more than 12 minutes and concludes with the group walking back towards the mosque.
There are a plethora of actions depicted in the clip, however the most disturbing moments include a child. The boy first appears toward the start of the video wearing a red coat and standing nearby as the adults hit themselves with makeshift whips (it looks as though he, too, has a whip of some sort in his hands — although it is not clear if it is the same as what the adult men use).
The video can be viewed in its entirety, below. An adult purportedly coaching the boy in how to use the whip can be watched around the 10:10 point (caution: violence/disturbing):
TheBlaze tried to substantiate that the event was, indeed, recorded in St. Louis, as noted in the YouTube header. As the men emerged from the building at the start of the clip, a number — purportedly an address — appears at the top of the doorway (721).
After a simple Google search, a house of worship called the Shia Islamic Education Center (the Dar al-Zahra Mosque and Education Center) was found (the building is located at 721 Strecker Road in Wildwood, Missouri). Wildwood is a suburb of St. Louis. » Read More
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About the Author
Billy Hallowell has been working in journalism and media for more than a decade. His writings have appeared in Human Events, Mediaite and on FOXNews.com, among other outlets. Hallowell has a B.A. in journalism and broadcasting from the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, New York and an M.S. in social research from Hunter College in Manhattan, New York. He is the founder of Pathufind Media and lives just outside NYC with his wife. You can find him on Twitter @BillyHallowell.