Is ritual bloodletting a part of your religious practice?
If so, how often do you do it? And what's the point of doing so?
It is for Shiite Moslems, have a look at this:
Devout Shiite Muslims mark day of Ashura in Iraqi holy city of Najaf | Daily Mail Online
I'm glad I don't have to do this
Hi,
This is rather a quick answer, due to some engagements.
First, I would like emphasize that bloodletting is not compulsory for sure.
Then although it looks serious, it is very symbolic, and those who do it love it very much and talking about its health benefits.
Then let me quickly explain the issue.
First as shia Muslims we are commanded to make the issue of Imam Hussain live until the return of the Mahdi and the Messiah.
So what is the issue of Hussain.
As many of you may know, according to Shia Islam, Islam was hijacked after the death of Muhamad, where some people have called themselves Caliphs, and said that people should accept their rule.
Then came a tyrant called Muawiyah, who wanted to establish a dynasty through his descendants.
His direct son was Yazid the first, who was alcoholic corrupt young man.
The grandson of the prophet, Hussain revolted and explained that by sacrificing himself, his family and companions, he can save Islam.
Imam Hussain and his descendants ordered the Shiites to commemorate their death annually.
Commemorating the sacrifice of Hussain is mandatory.
Shiites normally commemorate the sacrifice through reciting the whole story, with some people weeping and hitting their chests.
Now, what about bloodletting.
Those who do it look at it as a form of commemorating the sacrifice.
This view is generally accepted by the Shia clerics, however, not by all them.
Historically there were some well-known Shia clerics who have opposed it, and tried to stop it, but had no success in doing so.
After the Islamic revolution by Imam Khomeini, who was a staunch opponents of this practice, the newly established Islamic regime prohibited it, and tried to stop it even outside Iran, where they succeeded generally in stopping it inside Iran, however, they had a very minor success in stopping it outside Iran.
Now how all of this, I mean the practice of bloodletting has started.
Some says that when Imam Hussain camped in Karbala, Iraq, where he faced the regime of the tyrant of his time, some Shiites heard about it and moved to Karbala, in order to help Imam Hussain and his small number of supporters, who were only around 73 men. However, when these Shiites reached Karbala, the Imam, his family, and companions were already killed, so the Shiites started this practice as a mean to express their emotion toward their imam.
Others reject this explanation, and say that the practice is not a genuine Shia practice and it must be stoped.
The main point is that this is not a big issue, and practicing this ritual is a matter of individual freedom.
