A Muslim is to go on trial in a British legal first, accused of encouraging two boys to flog themselves during an Islamic ceremony to he held in Manchester.
Syed Mustafa Zaidi, 44, is accused of encouraging the boys, aged 15 and 13, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to beat themselves during a traditional Ashura ceremony at a community centre in Levenshulme, Manchester, on January 19.
The practice is common among Shia Muslims but allowing children to harm themselves is contrary to British law.
Ashura involves practitioners flagellating themselves using a Zanjeer Zani, an implement which has a wooden handle with chains and blades attached.
The Ashura ceremony takes place during the Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, and commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed and a central figure in the Shia faith.
Zaidi, of Station Road, Eccles, Salford, denies two counts of child cruelty. Doubtless his defence will be that it is his religion.
* Is this what multi-culturalism has brought to Britain? Children being taught to beat themselves with chains and blades?
The time has come to halt this ghastly multi-racial experiment before these people become the majority population in Britain, and forever extinguish British culture through demographic replacement.
The BNP is the only party which is openly dedicated to ensuring that these foreign and bizarre cults are expelled from our land, and that British people, and British culture, remain the majority dominating civilisation in Britain.