The Culture of Martyrdom - Lebanese Shiite Women and Babies Commemorate the Death of Imam Hussein and His Baby in the Battle of Karbala

The following are excerpts from a TV report on the culture of martyrdom among Lebanese Shiites, which aired on Al-Manar TV on December 25, 2009.
 

Reporter: Clad in black, they held their sons, shedding tears letting out sighs, out of sorrow for the innocence of the children whose blood was shed, on the soil of Karbala.
 

Man singing: Sleep, my son, I watch you dead. Sleep. You butterfly of light…
 

Second man singing: When he felt in his nostrils the heat of the arrow, he took his hands out of his diaper, and hugged the neck of his father, Al-Hussein.
 

Reporter: They wanted to offer solace to the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, so they participated in the Baby Day ceremonies, organized by the women's cadres of Hizbullah at the Sayyid Al-Shuhada compound in the southern suburb of Beirut. They renewed their pledge of allegiance to the Master of the Martyrs [Hussein], offering their sons to redeem his path.
 

Woman: We have come, first of all, to offer solace to Imam Al-Hussein for the baby. I'd like to say that Allah willing, all believers should take this path. I hope that we will be with Imam Al-Hussein forever.
 

Second woman: Since Allah did not allow us to be with him in Karbala, we should walk in the footsteps of the prophet's family, along with our own families, brothers, and children. Allah willing, we will be rewarded with the rule of Imam Al-Hussein, and of Imam Ali, the Emir of the Believers, and we will be among the followers of Fatima.
 

Third woman: We have come to offer solace to Imam Al-Hussein for his baby, and to stress that we follow the path of Imam Al-Hussein in Karbala.
 

Reporter: Because the catastrophe is their catastrophe, they wanted, in their innocence, to offer solace to the baby.
 

Boy: I came for Imam Al-Hussein
 

Second boy: We have come to offer solace to Imam Al-Hussein, and to say to him: "We wish to be martyred like the baby."
 

Third boy: We have come to share [the sorrow] of Imam Al-Hussein. We've come to share [the sorrow] of Imam Al-Hussein over his baby's martyrdom. We say to him: We weren't there to support you in Karbala. But we say: We respond to your call, Hussein.
 

Four boy: We respond to your call, Hussein.
 

Reporter: This message repeats itself every year on Ashuraa. It is a promise to continue the path of Jihad, in order to elevate the Word of Truth.