The 10th day of the
Islamic month of
Moharram
Religious day for
Shiites in south
Beirut as well as southern and eastern
Lebanon marking the death of
Imam Hussein. The
Shiite Muslims mark the day by slashing their heads with blades or beating their chests. People
march in large groups (as many as 300,000 people)
men, women and children participate in the
holiday. (Doctors stand by in case of profuse
bleeding or fainting) Everyone
wears black. Many
shout "
O Hussein, Our Beloved Hussein,"
The holiday has been used in recent years to vent anger at
Israel and the
United States. This year (March
2001) many of the
mourners carried banners that read “
Death to the USA”