Remembering Ashura

Today (perhaps tomorrow) is Ashura, the day on which Shi'ites mourn the death of Hussein, grandson of the Prophet, who was martyred on this day (10th Muharram) in the Battle of Karbara, 680 CE. The first quote in this pair comes from a Christian missionary's 1936 account of the "passion play" enacted in Karbala on this day. The missionary comments:

The first time I watched this procession I cried out from the depth of my soul, "Oh, God, where art thou?" I had never realized that people could get so far away from God and yet think they were pleasing Him. And the sad part of it is that all this is done in the name of religion-a religion that works on the emotions but gives no peace, no joy, and no hope.

The Ta'zieh or "passion play" at Karbala, however, is not without its equivalent within popular Christian piety, as indicated in the second quote, describing a passion play enacted in Mexico City on Good Friday last year.

We would do well to heed the perspective of those who themselves experience these rituals, however. Journalist Chris Kutschera, writing in 1995, characterizes the Karbala event thus:

What is typified by Karbala is the centuries old fight between good and evil, between the oppressed and the oppressors. It underlines the importance of the basic human right to rebel against injustice and suffering.

It is a thought worth pondering this year at this time.