BANARAS MUHARRAM AND THE COALS OF KARBALA
(70 minutes, 2004)
Available in DVD only

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Price: $195.00 + shipping and handling

In Banaras the annual Muharram festival recalls Imam Husayn, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, his horse, and his followers who died in the battle at Karbala (in present-day Iraq) in 680 CE. In Banaras homes and courtyards Muslim women slap their chests and chant the names of the martyrs. Through Banaras streets Shia and Sunni men join in processions slapping their chests, singing songs praising the martyrs, and vowing, "Never again shall we raise our hands against our brethren. Never again Karbala!" During the night Shia and Sunni men, together with many of their Hindu friends, run across prepared beds of glowing coals, demonstrating their fearlessness. The Muharram message is one of peace, brotherhood, resoluteness, and community harmony.

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