LOFTON / Re: Mass self-flaggelation for the Muslim holiday Ashura

[Volokh, Eugene]

    Folks:  Please remember that this is a list for discussions that are
pretty closely focused on the law of government and religion.
 
    Eugene


________________________________

	From: religionlaw-bounces at lists.ucla.edu
[mailto:religionlaw-bounces at lists.ucla.edu] On Behalf Of JOHN LOFTON
	Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 11:07 AM
	To: religionlaw at lists.ucla.edu
	Subject: LOFTON / Re: Mass self-flaggelation for the Muslim
holiday Ashura
	
	
	We need to get out of Iraq and return to the days when Iraqis
tortured each others and themselves --- though how this could be I do
not know since Bush said this is a "peaceful" religion.
	

	John Lofton, Editor, TheAmericanView.com
	Recovering Republican
	
	"Accursed is that peace of which revolt from God is the bond,
and blessed are those contentions by which it is necessary to maintain
the kingdom of Christ." -- John Calvin.


	-----Original Message-----
	From: Volokh, Eugene <VOLOKH at law.ucla.edu>
	To: Law & Religion issues for Law Academics
<religionlaw at lists.ucla.edu>
	Sent: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 1:46 pm
	Subject: Mass self-flaggelation for the Muslim holiday Ashura
	
	
	    A blog reader asked about this; my guess is that there
aren't
	
	any generally applicable laws barring the public drawing of
blood in the
	
	first instance, but if there were, it seems to me this would
raise some
	
	interesting questions under state statutory or constitutional
rules that
	
	provide some heightened scrutiny for burdens on religious
observance.
	
	(Note that New York courts have adopted a sort of intermediatish
	
	scrutiny under the state religious freedom guarantee.)  But I'd
never
	
	heard of this practice -- does anyone know whether it is
religiously
	
	mandated, not mandated but religiously encouraged, or (to the
extent
	
	these distinctions can be effectively drawn) merely a part of a
cultural
	
	tradition that accompanies the religious holiday?  Thanks,
	
	
	
	    Eugene
	
	
	
	    
	
	
	
	
	
	Hi Prof. Volokh--
	
	
	
	I wonder if you'd be willing to address on the Volokh Conspiracy
the
	
	legality/illegality(?) of the mass flagellations that are part
of the
	
	Muslim holiday Ashura, which is occurring this week.
Specifically, some
	
	really gruesome photos of a public celebration in Queens, New
York have
	
	appeared online:
	
	
http://legacyeditorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/imageResults.aspx?s
	
	
=ImagesSearchState%7c0%7c0%7c-1%7c28%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c1%7c%7c%7c0%7c0%7c0%7
	
	
c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c7%7c%7cashura+new+york%7c9221119423673258999%7c0%7c
	
	0%7c0%7c0&p=7&tag=3
	
	
<http://legacyeditorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/imageResults.aspx?
	
	
s=ImagesSearchState%7c0%7c0%7c-1%7c28%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c1%7c%7c%7c0%7c0%7c0%
	
	
7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c7%7c%7cashura+new+york%7c9221119423673258999%7c0%7
	
	c0%7c0%7c0&p=7&tag=3> 
	
	
	
	I'm no lawyer, but it seems to me that having a large group of
people
	
	draw blood from each other is a huge public health hazard.  How
far does
	
	freedom of religion go?
	
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