Posted on 08/27/2008 9:57:26 AM PDT by Stoat
The jury at Manchester Crown Court found 44-year-old Syed Mustafa Zaidi guilty of two counts of child cruelty.
The boys, aged 13 and 15, were forced to beat themselves with a zanjeer zani, an implement containing five curved blades, during a ceremony to commemorate the death of a Shia Muslim spiritual leader.
Zaidi, of Station Road, Eccles, Salford, also flogged himself during the ceremony at a community centre in Levenshulme, Manchester, on January 19.
A Shi'ite man flagellates himself in a street of a Baghdad neighbourhood during the traditionnal procession of Ashura in this file photo
The boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admitted they wanted to beat themselves, but not under duress and not using Zaidi's zanjeer zani.
Both boys also admitted they had flogged themselves with a smaller zanjeer zani from the age of six in Pakistan.
A 14-year-old boy, who was 13 at the time, said Zaidi told them both: "Start doing it, start doing it".
He told the jury: "We said 'we don't want to do it'."
The boy said he saw Zaidi flogging himself with the zanjeer zani before washing his blood from it and handing it to the 15-year-old boy.
He said Zaidi was "pulling him and pushing him, 'keep doing it', telling people 'this is a sad moment and look he's not doing it'.
"He goes 'I don't want to do it, I don't want to do it'.
"He kept pressuring him, make him do the knife thing, pulling him, trying to get his T-shirt off, pulling and pushing him.
"He was saying 'just do it, just do it'."
He said the 15-year-old boy "swung it once or twice and said 'I don't want to do it anymore'."
He said the older boy was then pulled away by another man.
A 20-minute film of the traditional Ashura ceremony, broadcast on satellite television, showed Zaidi flagellating himself until his back was bloody and cut.
Participants at the men-only event flogged themselves, while others chanted the name Husayn and beat their chests. Many cried openly.
The Ashura ceremony takes place during Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, and commemorates the death of Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed and a central figure in the Shia faith.
Husayn was killed at the Battle of Karbala, alongside 72 members of his family, around 1,400 years ago.
Performing the matam - self-flagellation - brings out feelings of bereavement and grief at their deaths.
Zaidi admitted he had asked the boys if they wanted to beat themselves and that he allowed them to use his zanjeer zani.
He denied his actions were wrong, saying: "This is a part of our religion."
He said the 15-year-old boy had performed a "perfect matam" and that it was not a "stitching matam" because he didn't sustain heavy cuts.
He told the jury: "It was an emotional time and the children were happy, they asked for it. No one forced anyone."
The boys both received multiple lacerations to their backs, mainly superficial, with several deeper cuts.
Zaidi, a warehouse supervisor, also said: "If I'd known this would be the result of breaking the law I would never have done it."
Not being familiar with this implement and feeling that an image of it would add to readers' understanding of the story, I did various image searches for zanjeer zani and got mainly images of the acts of flagellation, not closeups of the implement itself.
However, one page that was returned on this image search includes this picture
The article's description of it as having "five curved blades" appears to match, and so if anyone more familiar with a Zanjeer Zani can confirm or verify this as being authentic would be appreciated.
Here's the page that this image came from:
Zanjeer Zani and Qama Zani in Ashoora Processions Walayat News
(Violent, bloody imagery warning)
These animals are really sick.
There really is no hope for those people, is there?
That’s why they’re pushing so hard for sahria law so this’ll become an ok thing to do...gotta love that religon of peace!
And still worshiping Marduk the moon god just like they have done for 3000 years by flogging and cutting themselves. They even kept the crescent moon as their religious symbol!
He denied his actions were wrong, saying: “This is a part of our religion.”
&&&
Lovely, lovely culture....
The VAST majority of Muslims neither practice this nor approve of it.
Of course among Catholics, you still have some who practice mild self-flagellation and others in New Mexico, Mexico, the Phillipines and elsewhere who re-enact the crucifixion, INCLUDING having nails driven through hands. One guy’s done it 21 times now. Does that mean there’s no hope for Christians?
having little boys flog themselves? Sounds like repressed homosexuals to me.
There’s no hope for THOSE “Christians”.
Personally, I really like this tradition for muzzies. In fact, I’d like to volunteer to wield the five-bladed zanjeer on their most devout followers. Heh heh. Happy mental picture.
Muslim guilty over flogging The Sun News
Guilty ... Syed Zaidi
Carol Jackson, lawyer for the Greater Manchester Crown Prosecution Service, said: The CPS wishes to make it clear that this prosecution was not an attack upon the practices or ceremonies of Shia Muslims.
Indeed, the prosecution relied as part of its evidence upon the president of the local Shia community centre.
This is a very unusual case and the first of its kind to be prosecuted by the CPS in England and Wales.
*****************************************************************
From the UK Times:
Devout Muslim guilty of making boys beat themselves during Shia ceremony - Times Online
********************************************************************************
From the BBC:
BBC NEWS UK How a Shia ritual ended in court
|
Warning: Violent, bloody imagery
So the Religion Of Peace allows men to murder women in their family that they “believe” have dishonored them, allows and encourages young boys to be beaten with a dangerous implement in a “religious ceremony” ? Okay. Sure sounds like a religion of peace to me.................
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.