In Islam, the Ashura Festival commemorates annually the triumph of Iman Hussein, son of the prophet Mohammed, over a secular tyrant. As such, it is a call for self-sacrifice and resistance against oppression. A more militant interpretation views Ashura as a call to practice martyrdom operations, or, as they are known in the West, suicide bombings. Against the backdrop of the Ashura held in southern Lebanon, Thabh-Ul-Azim documents the rationale that leads some to make “the noble sacrifice.”  JM