The Lesson of Karbala

At this juncture in history, it is extremely important not to allow media propaganda to foment further sectarianism among Muslims. Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram, is commemorated by the followers of 'Ali, the 'Shi'ani Ali' and yet, the example of Husayn, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is an inspiring one for people everywhere, no matter what their religious affiliations might be.

One of the most famous sayings of the Shi'a is: 'Every day is Ashura, every land is Karbala.' What this means essentially is that the fight for justice is not localised, nor can it be a consideration that is ignored most of the time and only brought into focus on special occasions.

We all have our own private struggles and pre-occupations. Every one is confronted by pain, suffering, and threat of loss, whether of people we love, our livelihoods or our homes. That is no excuse for us to neglect universal concerns of justice.

The lesson of the events of 11 September, for example, is that people can ignore the rights and suffering of others only at their peril. When the cries of the oppressed are ignored by the rest of the world, they must find an outlet somewhere.

Possibly the biggest mistake that has been made was the response of the U.S. and its allies to the events of 11 September. Instead of embarking upon a war against the entire world, a war against all those whose voices are NOT heard by this administration, the U.S. should have renounced its blind support of the Zionist entity and begun to show some understanding of the causes of Resistance.

'Terrorism' is the response of the helpless and the disenfranchised. The answer is not a spurious 'war against terror'. That is the response of a bully who believes that he can overpower all resistance to his desires. It would be a great pity if ordinary individuals do not begin to accept responsibility for the actions undertaken by governments in their name. It is time to repudiate these corrupt governments and their corrupt policies.

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