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 Shiites flagellate themselves with knives during the Ashoura commemoration in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012. Ashoura marks the Shiite Muslims commemoration of the 7th century killing of their most revered Saint Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, a symbol of martyrdom for Shiites. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)