Trinamool Leaders Urge Muslims Not To Display Swords In Muharram Processions hindustantimes.com

West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has reached out to community leaders, asking them to urge Muslims to refrain from displaying weapons in processions on the 10th day of the first month of the Muslim calendar, Muharram.

Some Shia Muslims self-flagellate with chains and swords in remembrance of the killing of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussain, in the Battle of Karbala (modern-day Iraq) in the 7th century. The practice has been discouraged in recent years with clerics urging people to donate blood instead.

“We have reached out to leaders of the community to ensure Muharram is observed in a way that does not hurt sentiments of members of other communities. We urge Muslims to shun the practice of carrying swords during processions not only because the practice has no sanction in Islam but also because such communal forces as BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) are trying to foment trouble around this practice,” said TMC parliament member Idris Ali.