Men whip themselves with knives at the Ashoura commemoration in Kabul (photos)

TO Afghanistan, to see Shiite Muslims flagellating themselves with knives during the Ashoura (aka Ashura) commemoration in Kabul. Ashoura honours the death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in 680 A.D. Last year, the commemoration saw Afghanistan’s first major sectarian attack since the fall of the Taliban regime. In that strike, a suicide bomber on foot detonated his vest amid scores of worshippers at a Shiite shrine, killing at least 80 people…

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Afghan men and women wait to see the carrying of holy mace during the Ashoura procession in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Ashoura honors the death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in A.D. 680. (AP Photo/Ahmad Nazar)