(New York Times) Neil MacFarquhar - The Shiite Muslim minority in Saudi Arabia once marked their Ashura holy day furtively out of fear of stirring the powerful wrath of the religious establishment. But this year Ashura fell on the eve of the 10-day campaign for municipal council elections, to be held Thursday, and a bolder mood was readily apparent. Thousands thronged to watch warriors on horseback re-enact the battlefield decapitation of Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, in 680. Saudi Arabia's religious establishment, which is dominated by the Wahhabi branch of Sunni Islam, still damns such rites as pagan orgies. But the fact that Shiites no longer feel the need to hide reflects important changes.
2005-03-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive