Free Patriotic Movement bloc leader MP Michel Aoun told Kuwaiti newspaper Ad-Diyar in an article published on Sunday that the Muslim Shia commemoration of Ashura is similar to the Christian church’s Lenten commemoration of Good Friday because both religions value the definition of a martyr.

“Ashura ritual pain resembles Christ’s pain,” Aoun said; adding that without pain there could be no freedom and independence.

He added that Shia Muslims and Christians share similar principles, such as the belief in the return of Christ for Christians and the return of the Imam Mahdi for Shia Muslims. 

-NOW Lebanon