The high court taking suo moto cognisance of children being a part of self-flagellation during the mourning in Moharram has received mixed reactions from members of the community. A PIL seeking ban on minors' participation, particularly in the Matam during which blades, knives and chains are used, was disposed of by the court and converted into a suo moto petition.
The tradition of Matam, which has been going on for hundreds of years, sees participation of people of different age groups. Most get into it as they have seen their families or others being a part of it. In India, three prominent sects observe the Matam. These are the Shia Ishna Ashari (the most widely affected), the Dawoodi Bohra and the Khoja Ishan Ashari.
Shia Ishna Ashari is the largest group of Shias. The Dawoodi Bohra community, sometime back, on the directive of its head, the late 52 Dai ul Mutlaq Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, had restricted the practice to chest-thumping by hand.
"Judges are learned people and what they have said is right. We do matam in remembrance of our Imam. We do it by banging our chest. Earlier, the community would use chains and blades, but that has stopped. Our Syedna said hand is more than enough. You don't need to spill your blood to remember the Imam," said Abbas Ali Arif, 26, a Dawoodi Bohra, who observes Matam every year. "We do it only till the time it is safe and no one is forced into it. People do it out of love for their Imam."
"At the end of the day it is a matter of religious faith. If the court has said religious leaders should debate, then heads of different groups should take people's opinion and arrive at a consensus. It should not be that 10 Maulanas sit in a room, decide on the matter and impose it on people. That would lead to unease among community members," said Maulana Mohammed Mirza Ather, president of All-India Shia Personal Law Board.
"I do not know the details of the court case, but other religions too have their customs. We will see what our leaders have to say. It's not just about (offering) condolence, this is a religious matter. Even our children would have participated with Imam Hussain had they been there to be martyred with him and his children," said Kausar Zaidi, former president of Anjuman Imammia that organises juloos during Moharram.
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