Teenage boys forced to flog themselves

[20 August 2008]

Teenage boys were forced to flog themselves with a whip which had chains and blades attached as part of a religious ceremony.

One of the boys told Manchester Crown Court how Syed Mustafa Zaidi made them flog themselves as part of an Ashura ceremony commemorating the death of the spiritual leader of Shia Muslims. Mr Zaidi denies two counts of child cruelty. The boys saw Mr Zaidi flogging himself with a whip, called a zanjeer, before washing his blood from it and handing it to them. The boy told the court how Mr Zaidi pulled and pushed them, and told them to keep doing it. He told the others at the ceremony: "This is a sad moment and look, he's not doing it."

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