Muslim Sacrifices Himself

(New Delhi, India) A 45-year-old Muslim man, Moharrum Ali, slit his throat and died as part of the celebration of Eid-ul-Zuha. Given that religious fanaticism regularly causes individuals to take their own lives, this incident is not surprising. Nonetheless, the note he left is worthy of comment.

"I was sacrificing my life as I once dreamt Allah asking me to offer myself for sacrifice."

In fairness, I had a similar experience. In my dream, Davy Crockett asked me to join him in defending the Alamo because the Mexican Army was going to attack. Of course, I knew it was all fiction. It was a dream, for crying out loud! I was nine years old but still knew the difference.

To be serious, though, it's reported that Moharrum Ali had tried the human sacrifice stunt once before and failed. Therefore, I'll chalk him up as a suicidal nutcase as opposed to an Islamic zealot commanded by any specific teachings of Mohammad. Of course, I haven't read the Qu'ran and Moharrum Ali had to get the idea from somewhere.