It’s time for the yearly ritual of Ashura, in which Shi’ite Muslims flagellate themselves with chains and slash themselves with knives and swords in a 7th century-style blood ritual. This lovely custom, about which we are not allowed to make any judgments in the 21st century, starts at a very young age.

UPDATE at 1/29/07 10:24:08 am:

Here’s one of the all-time most disturbing Ashura images, from the 2003 festivities in Pakistan, as a man shows his grief over the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Mohammed, by whipping himself (and anyone stupid enough to get close) with a giant metal claw.