Marziya - Chickens in a Coop

Marziya - Chickens in a Coop, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

I try to show Marziya what I view through my camera lens.

to see them
before they die
she stoops
chickens in a coop
waiting for death
hustled in a group
caught in a matrix
of human attraction
towards the boiling cauldron
they troop
as chicken lolipops
chicken tikka
on mans dining table
to regroup

Muslim Vote Matters

Muslim Vote Matters, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

an age old myth
it shatters
muslim vote matters
says the muslim slum dog
in a hurry
a few sons lots of daughters
faded hopes
broken promises
after elections
back to the grass roots
bulldozers broken down
slums and tenements
predoomed
life of squatters

Iraqi Kama Matam Chehlum Mumbai 2009

Iraqi Kama Matam Chehlum Mumbai 2009, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Habib Nasser a Shia photographer is the founder of this unique form of Iraqi Matam on the streets of Mumbai as part of the Chehlum Juloos that starts at JJ Hospital and moves towards the Rehmatabad Shia cemetery Mazgaon.



Men boys cut their heads in unison to the quintessential chant of Ya Hussain Ya Hussain..



Its here that I cut my head too, the ritual known as Kama Zani or Kama Matam. Habib does not participate in the event here but he does the hardcore sword matam at the Rehmatabad Shia cemetery.The scenes in the interior of the cemetery is akin to a war zone , blades flying in the air and the entire area flooded with blood.



However I will only show you the choreography of pain through the Iraqi Kama Matam..



Chehlum is the 40 day of Moharam or also known as Arbaeen ..of the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain, this is a peaceful, mammoth juloos or procession, with kids women and elders trailing the procession all the way to the cemetery.



Mumbai Moharam is larger than life and one of its kind..and the Iraqi Kama Matam takes you back to the streets of Karbala where this Matam is performed .



Habib has imported all the daggers, machetes , and the carbonized razor sharp blade is enough to cut the flesh all the way to the bone.



There is no casualty, the bleeding is stopped by rose water or plain water and nothing else.



No septic shots, no ointment no antiseptics or antibiotics.



I dont cut myself severely because than its impossible to shoot pictures with the blood flowing into the viewfinder of the camera.



This is another pictorial journey into the LIfe of the Shia.. a great moment called Ghame Hussain.

Shah Ast Hussain- The Shia Way Of Life

Shah Ast Hussain- The Shia Way Of Life, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

posted at Now Public
my.nowpublic.com/strange/shah-ast-hussain-shia-way-life

Shah ast Hussain, Badshah ast Hussain
Deen ast Hussain, Deen Panah ast Hussain
Sardad na dad dast, dar dast-e-yazeed,
Haqaa key binaey La ila ast Hussain




Loosely translated




Ruler is Hussain, Emperor is Hussain,
Faith is Hussain , guardian of faith is Hussain .
Offered his head and not the hand to Yazid.
Truly, the mirror of faith is Hussain




Words of Khwajah Moinuddin Chishty Ajmeri on the Gates of the Bulund Darwaza Ajmer




Bleeding for Hussain , to keep the memory of his supreme sacrifice alive is a way of overcoming pain.. Ghame Hussain.




Moharam celebrated by the Shia Muslims is a statement a protest against aggression of the spiritual and human soul of Man.




Moharam is a 1400 year old protest against all forms of terrorism, simply called Yazidiyat, promoted by Yazid the Caliph of the Ummayad Dynasty.. against Imam Hussain the revered grandson of the Holy Prophet of Islam who met a tragic end fighting for the right of Man.




Fighting to keep the Faith of the Maker Alive ..his head was decapitated along with the heads of his male family members , and than placed on spears to be displayed at the Court of Yazid in Damascus.




This is early Arab barbarism..women children no one was spared.




The Shias all over the world mourn the death of Imam Hussain, the 10 th of Moharam is called Ashura and the 40 th day is called Chehlum.




Every Day is Ashura every place is Karbala




I show you through pictures the ritualism of overcoming pain..as seen In India during Moharam..flagellation's, head cutting as performed by the Shias.




Swami Shankaracharya
"It is Hussain's (ﮫﻨﻋﻰﻠﺎﻌﺘﷲﺍﻰﻀﺮ) sacrifice that has kept Islam alive or else in this world there would be no one left to take Islam's name."




Rabindranath Tagore
"In order to keep alive justice and truth, instead of an army or weapons, success can be achieved by sacrificing lives, exactly what Imam Hussain (ﮫﻨﻋﻰﻠﺎﻌﺘﷲﺍﻰﻀﺮ) did."




Edward Gibbon
"In a distant age and climate the tragic scene of the death of Hussain (ﮫﻨﻋﻰﻠﺎﻌﺘﷲﺍﻰﻀﺮ) will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader."
[The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, London, 1911, volume 5, pp391-2]




Mahatma Gandhi
"My faith is that the progress of Islam does not depend on the use of sword by its believers, but the result of the supreme sacrifice of Hussain (ﮫﻨﻋﻰﻠﺎﻌﺘﷲﺍﻰﻀﺮ), the great saint."




Katle Hussain Asal Margae Yezid Tha;
Islam Zinda Hota Hai har Karbale Ke Baad.





(The Martyrdom of Hussain was indeed the Death of Yezid;
Islam is rejuvenated after each and every Karbala).




Muhammad Iqbal (from Lahore, Pakistan) said:

"Imam Husain uprooted despotism forever till the day of Judgment. He
watered the dry garden of freedom with surging wave of his blood, and
indeed he awakened the sleeping Muslim nation. If Imam Husain had
aimed at acquiring a worldly empire, he would not have traveled he
did. Husain weltered in blood and dust for the sake of truth. Verily
he, therefore, became bed-rock (foundation) of the Muslim creed; There
is no God but Allah."

Charles Dickens had said the following about Imam Husain (AS):

"If Husain fought to quench his worldly desires, then I do not
understand why his sisters, wives and children accompanied him. It
stands to reason therefore that he sacrificed purely for Islam."

Thomas Carlyle has relayed this about the Tragedy of Karbala:

"The best lesson which we get from the tragedy of Karbala is that
Husain and his companions were the rigid believers of God. They
illustrated that numerical superiority does not count when it comes to
truth and falsehood. The victory of Husain despite his minority
marvels me!"

The famous, Dr. K. Sheldrake on Imam Husain (AS) said this:

"Husain marched with his little company not to glory, not to power or
wealth, but to a supreme sacrifice and every member of that gallant
band, male and female, knew that the foes were implacable, were not
only ready to fight but to kill. Denied even water for the children,
they remained parched under a burning sun, amid scorching sands yet no
one faltered for a moment and bravely faced the greatest odds without
flinching."

World famous Arab historian al-Fakhri has said this about Imam Husain's
sacrifice:

"This is a catastrophe whereof I care not to speak at length, deeming
it alike too grievous and too horrible. For verily, it was a
catastrophe than that which naught more shameful has happened in
Islam...There happened therein such a foul slaughter as to cause man's
flesh to creep with horror. And again I have dispersed with my long
description because of it's notoriety, for it is the most lamented of
catastrophes."

"I Love Challenges "says Abbas Kazmi

"I Love Challenges "says Abbas Kazmi, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Advocate Abbas Kazmi my dear friend has created a whirlpool on Times of India dated 17April 2009 ..by saying" I m not sure if Kasab is from Pakistan"
Yes Abbas Kami is the new defense lawyer for the gunner Ajmal Amir Kasab who is in the dock for the 26/11 carnage in Mumbai city.
In the Times of India article written by Kartikeya titled "Kasabs New Lawyer Set For Battle dated "17 April 2009.
The choice of the Judiciary in selecting Advocate Abbas Kazmi is laudable , it shows that we in India uphold the laws that pertain to human rights irrespective of caste color or creed.
And this is going to be a really larger than life court battle in the offing..
We congratulate Advocate Abbas Kazmi and wish him the very best in upholding the laws of our land to the best of his abilities.

Also posted at Now Public
my.nowpublic.com/world/advocate-abbas-kazmi-new-defense-l...

A Tribute to His Holiness on Flickr

A Tribute to His Holiness on Flickr, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Akbar Bhai started Cheap Jack, and now it is Something Special.
Akbar Bhai is my finest Bohra friend who has helped me grow in my creativity over the years.. Akbar Bhai sells embroidery stuff and other crafts item..a shop that is visited by all the school children.
Akbar Bhai had invited me for His Holiness's birthday celebrations at the Khar Bohra Mosque this week , but to my bad luck and a prior work commitment I could not make it.
This was an event as a photographer I would have not missed ,as I had taken my American photographer friend Dr Glenn Losack MD to shoot His Holiness in his car at Null Bazar last year.. a moment he will never forget he told me of women and mean paying homage to the greatest holy figure and a Messenger of Peace in our contemporary world ..

This set at Flicker on the Bohras is my tribute to the followers of his Holiness the dynamic peace loving Bohras of Mumbai...The Bohras lead the way and are a important part of the secular fabric of Amchi Mumbai.

And my tribute to Akbar Bhai of Something Special my finest Bohra friend.

My oldest Bohra friend is Akbar Bhai Chamdawala of Roma at Byculla Bridge.

Bohri Mohalla is the food eaters delight and comes to life during Ramzan.

74000 Blogs in 23 Months at Flickr

74000 Blogs in 23 Months at Flickr, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

I complete 74000 blogs in 23 months at Flickr