Show SLASH SELVES SWORDS Persians Stage Orgy of Mourning for Mo Mo- Mohamet's Mohamet's lo- lo hamet's Kin CONSTANTINOPLE Aug 17 17 By The Associated Press Slash Slash Slashing ing their foreheads and necks with sharp swords lashing their bare backs with chains and beating their breasts with their palms 1000 Per Per- Persian PersIan Persian sian residents of Stamboul succeeded succeeded suc Suc- Succeeded In evading the Turkish police poUce and carrying on this year as usual their annual mourning for two men slain 1300 years ago The Persians were warned that the Turkish government intended this year to put a 0 stop to the gory demonstration staged st. every year ear on the tenth night of the moon In the Moslem month of or But they gathered secretly in the courtyard of an ancient han hid hid- hidden hidden hidden den in a shadowy corner of Stam Stam- StambOul Stamboul boul and laying costly Persian car car- carpets carpets pets on on the cobblestones where camel caravans used to unload their burdens they constructed an im impromptu im- im impromptu mosque wherein to follow the spectacular rites Persians have performed the ceremony on this night for thirteen centuries in memory of Hassan and Hussein grandsons of the prophet Mohammed Mohammed med who were murdered by an usurping Caliph Turkish police pollee arriving on the scene after the barbaric moonlight orgy was over arrested some hun hun- hundred hundred hundred dred of the wounded self-wounded bleeding participants while a SI thousand Per Per- Persians Persians packed in the courtyard rent the night with their wails and sobs of ot Husseini Hussein I Hassan I IA A black blac robed black gloved Per Per- Persian PersIan Persian sian priest mopping his eyes with witha a huge black handkerchief worked himself himsel into a frenzy while he wall wall- walled walled ed cd over o and over the story of the ancient murder in all its gruesome details telling of how the young Hassan was poisoned by his own wife an accomplice of the villainous Caliph and of or how Has- Has Hasseln seln seiD wandering half halt dead with thirst in the desert of Damascus was found by the usurpers usurper's men and beheaded b headed Though both Persians and Turks are Moslems the Persians belong to the Shiite ShUte sect which refused to recognize the line of Caliphs found found- founded ed by the usurper Since the century all Turks have been Nowadays some Persian Shiites reside in Turkey peacefully and the only opposition by the Turkish govern govern- government government Is Its attempt to put a stop to the annual flagellations of its Per Per- Persian PersIan Persian sian guests |