Photo, above: Muharram is a month of remembrance that's often considered synonymous with the event of Ashura.  Ashura, which literally means the "Tenth" in Arabic, refers to the tenth day of Muharram, and is known for the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad.  See: Hour 3, Block B, The Myth of Martyrdom: What Really Drives Suicide Bombers, Rampage Shooters, and Other Self-Destructive Killers... by Adam Lankford

Al-Hussein ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (11 or 13 January 626 CE – 13 October 680 CE) (3rd / 5th Sha'aban 4 AH – 10th Muharram 61 AH) was the son of Ali ibn Abi Ṭalib (final Rashidun Caliph and first Shia Imam) and Fatimah Zahra (daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad) and the younger brother of Hasan ibn Ali. Hussein is an important figure in Islam as he is a member of the Ahl al-Bayt (the household of Muhammad) and Ahl al-Kisa, as well as being the third Shia Imam.

Hussein is highly regarded by both the Shia and the Sunni as a martyr because he refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid I, the Umayyad caliph, as he considered the Umayyad rule to be unjust. As a consequence, he left Madina, his home town, whence he travelled to Mecca; then, after the people of Kufa sent letters pledging allegiance to him, he set out for Kufa. The people of Kufa then broke their pledge, intercepted his caravan, and killed him: he was beheaded in the Battle of Karbala in 680 (61 AH) by Shimr Ibn Thil-Jawshan. The annual memorial for him, his family, his children, and his As'haab (companions) is called Ashura (tenth day of Muharram) and is a day of mourning for Shia Muslims.

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW

Hour One

Saturday 24 August 2013/ Hour 1, Block A: Fallujah Awakens: Marines, Sheikhs, and the Battle Against al Qaeda (Blue and Gold) by Bill Ardolino (1 of 4) 

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 1, Block B: Fallujah Awakens: Marines, Sheikhs, and the Battle Against al Qaeda (Blue and Gold) by Bill Ardolino (2 of 4)

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 1, Block C: Fallujah Awakens: Marines, Sheikhs, and the Battle Against al Qaeda (Blue and Gold) by Bill Ardolino (3 of 4) 

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 1, Block D: Fallujah Awakens: Marines, Sheikhs, and the Battle Against al Qaeda (Blue and Gold) by Bill Ardolino (4 of 4)

Hour Two

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 2, Block A: Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan by Sean Parnell and John Bruning (1 of 4) 

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 2, Block B: : Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan by Sean Parnell and John Bruning (2 of 4)

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 2, Block C: : Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan by Sean Parnell and John Bruning (3 of 4)

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 2, Block D: : Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan by Sean Parnell and John Bruning (4 of 4)

Hour Three

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 3, Block A: The Myth of Martyrdom: What Really Drives Suicide Bombers, Rampage Shooters, and Other Self-Destructive Killers... by Adam Lankford (1 of 4)

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 3, Block B: The Myth of Martyrdom: What Really Drives Suicide Bombers, Rampage Shooters, and Other Self-Destructive Killers... by Adam Lankford (2 of 4)

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 3, Block C: The Myth of Martyrdom: What Really Drives Suicide Bombers, Rampage Shooters, and Other Self-Destructive Killers... by Adam Lankford (3 of 4)

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 3, Block D: The Myth of Martyrdom: What Really Drives Suicide Bombers, Rampage Shooters, and Other Self-Destructive Killers... by Adam Lankford (4 of 4)

Hour Four

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 4, Block A: We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People (American Empire Project... by Peter Van Buren (1 of 2)

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 4, Block B: We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People (American Empire Project... by Peter Van Buren (2 of 3)

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 4, Block C:We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People (American Empire Project... by Peter Van Buren (3 of 3)

Saturday 24 August 2013 / Hour 4, Block D: Paul Kiel, in re:  military loans  (2 of 2)

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Music

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Hour 3: