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| Man convicted over Shia flogging | Man convicted over Shia flogging |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A devout Muslim has been found guilty of child cruelty after forcing two boys to beat themselves during a religious ceremony, in an unprecedented case. | A devout Muslim has been found guilty of child cruelty after forcing two boys to beat themselves during a religious ceremony, in an unprecedented case. |
| The jury at Manchester Crown Court found 44-year-old Syed Mustafa Zaidi guilty of two counts of child cruelty. | The jury at Manchester Crown Court found 44-year-old Syed Mustafa Zaidi guilty of two counts of child cruelty. |
| The boys, aged 13 and 15, were forced to beat themselves with a zanjeer whip, with five curved blades. | The boys, aged 13 and 15, were forced to beat themselves with a zanjeer whip, with five curved blades. |
| Zaidi, of Station Road, Eccles, Salford, also flogged himself during the ceremony in January 2007. | Zaidi, of Station Road, Eccles, Salford, also flogged himself during the ceremony in January 2007. |
| The court heard the boys admit that they had wanted to beat themselves, but not under duress, and not with the curved blade whip. This is a part of our religion Syed Mustafa Zaidi | |
| The teenagers said that they had flogged themselves with a smaller whip from the age of six in Pakistan. | The teenagers said that they had flogged themselves with a smaller whip from the age of six in Pakistan. |
| The Ashura ceremony takes place during Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar and commemorates the death of a central figure in the Shia faith. | |
| Zaidi admitted he had asked the boys if they wanted to beat themselves and that he allowed them to use the bladed whip. | |
| He denied his actions were wrong, saying: "This is a part of our religion ." |