The guy writing the article perhaps cant tell the difference between his own head and his back side. In order to be like the west our people just completely forget what they are at the first place. Where I do believe that a ritual shouldn't become a religion, I sit here wondering that whether the author would even have the guts to point fingers at thousands of other idolistic rituals that people in Pakistan practice. And he also had forgotten the fact that the practice of sacrafice that he is so conveniently calling a ritual is actually part of our religion. But still Allah is not so harsh on his creation to force them to do something that they dont have the power to do so, thus it is mandatory to offer a sacrifice for those who can afford it at the first place. The issue is not the offering that we make the issue is the shauday bazi (showing off) that people indulge in. And that is a ritual that has become a religion. And can some one please tell the retarded author that beating ones self at ashura by the shias is not the same as offering a goat or a cow or a camel in Allah's way.