Islam and Brain Damage

How did Parviz Khan get that bruise on his forehead?

Parviz Khan is one of nine defendants on trial in the UK for a terrorist plot against the British military. Family Security Matters has been following the trial:

UK: Man Admits Plotting To Behead Muslim Soldier

Those shrill cries claiming persecution can now be exposed as false. A trial is currently taking place in Leicester Crown Court. And it is only now revealed that 37-year-old Parviz Khan, one of the nine people arrested in late January and early February 2007, has pleaded guilty to plotting to kidnap and decapitate a British Muslim soldier.

Khan, an “unemployed charity worker,” admitted his guilt earlier this month, but the news was suppressed until a trial involving two other individuals, Amjad Mahmood, 33, and Zahoor Iqbal, 31, began. These two denied involvement in the plot.

But did he get the bruise while in custody?

Evidently not. Dymphna at Gates of Vienna explains that this bruise is nothing unusual among devout Muslims:

Gates of Vienna: Muslim Stigmata

What I hadn’t been able to find is any commentary on Mr. Khan’s bruised forehead. Had the police been having a go at him with billy clubs, perhaps? Why no mention of it by the MSM? Strange that it would go unremarked…

Well, sorry, this is nothing as pedestrian as torture. What creates these Muslim stigmata is the effect of devout head-pounding fervor. Fundamentalist Muslims do not touch their head to the ground in prayer. Instead, they bounce their cranium forcefully onto the stone floors on which they kneel. Performing this act of adoration five times a day will get you that prune-shaped hematoma our head-banger suspect now sports. By their bruises you shall know them.

And these people have the nerve to complain about Gitmo…

The Wikipedia whitewash

Prayer bump

A prayer bump, also known as a prayer scar, or a zabiba or zebiba (raisin) in Arabic is a mark on the forehead of a pious muslim, caused by rubbing the forehead against a prayer mat. Islam requires its adherents to pray five times a day (known as salah), which involves kneeling on a prayer mat and touching the ground with one’s forehead. When done for extended periods of time, a prayer bump may develop. Devout Muslims consider the presence of a prayer bump to be a worthy sign of religious dedication and piety.

The prayer bump can take the form of a discolouration of the skin, caused by repeated chafing and the build-up of callous. In extreme cases, the callous can be thick enough to create a real bump that portrudes from the forehead. Prayer bumps are common in Islamic countries such as Egypt, where they are colloquially called a ‘zabiba’ (raisin).

Could he have gotten a deep bruise like this merely from rubbing his forehead on a mat?

A mark from dirt, yes. Chafed skin, maybe. A callus, possibly. But a deep bruise? No. Rubbing the surface of the skin against a flat surface does not cause bruising in a normal individual. A bruise is evidence of a strong enough impact to break blood vessels below the surface.

Now I’m not a neurologist, but…

Repeated blows to the head can cause permanent damage to the brain. Any brain function can become impaired when the brain is damaged – motor and sensory capabilities, regulation of internal body processes, sleep and wakefulness, emotional states, memory, reasoning, judgment, personality, and character. The dangers of concussion are well known from studies of athletes, soldiers, and others who have suffered such trauma.

• Troops risk undetected brain injury

  By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY

  Thousands of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan may be risking permanent brain damage by returning to combat with relatively minor but undiagnosed concussions, often caused by bomb blasts, military researchers say.

  Doctors say they are only now understanding the scope of the problem. Researchers screening returning soldiers and Marines at four military bases found that about 10% suffered at least a minor brain injury during combat. About 20% of troops in front-line infantry units suffered such injuries.

  The injuries frequently go undiagnosed because troops have no visible wounds or may not know they suffered a concussion, doctors say. Medics and field doctors often aren’t aware of what happened during fighting.

• Brain Injury in Sports

  Sports-Related Recurrent Brain Injuries – United States

  An estimated 300,000 sports related traumatic brain injuries, TBIs, of mild to moderate severity , most of which can be classified as concussions, (i.e., conditions of temporary altered mental status as a result of head trauma, occur in the United States each year. The proportion of these concussions that are repeat injuries is unknown; however, there is an increased risk for subsequent TBI among persons who have had at least one previous TBI. Repeated mild brain injuries occurring over an extended period (i.e., months or years can result in cumulative neurologic and cognitive deficits, but repeated mild brain injuries occurring within a short period (i.e., hours, days, weeks) can be catastrophic or fatal. The latter phenomenon, termed “second impact syndrome” has been reported more frequently since it was first characterized in 1984. This page describes two cases of second impact syndrome and presents recommendations developed by the American Academy of Neurology to prevent recurrent brain injuries in sports and their adverse consequences.

• Chemical Proof of Punch-Drunk Effect

  Hits To Boxers’ Heads Cause More Chemical Markers For Brain Injury

  (WebMD) A blow to the head may do more than just make you feel woozy.

  A new study shows repeated blows to the head cause an increase of chemicals in the fluid that circulates around the brain and spinal cord. These chemicals are markers for brain and nerve cell injury. The rise of these chemicals of the brain may also help explain what is commonly known as “punch drunk” syndrome, with symptoms of long-term neurological damage.

  Researchers studied a group of amateur boxers and found those who had recently suffered repeated blows to the head during a recent boxing match had higher-than-normal levels of certain chemicals in their cerebrospinal fluid (fluid that circulates around the spinal cord and brain). These chemicals, known as neurofilament light protein and total tau, have also been shown to be increased in some neurologic disorders with damage of brain neurons and cells.

  Researchers say about 20 percent of professional boxers develop chronic traumatic brain injury as a result of years of repeated blows to the head during their careers in the ring. But little is known about the brain injury risks faced by amateur boxers who must wear protective headgear and compete in shorter bouts.

• Concussions May Spell Later Trouble For Football Players

  ScienceDaily (May 5, 2000) — SAN DIEGO, CA – The first scientific survey of head injuries in professional football players suggests that head trauma from the sport may lead to later neurological problems.

More:

• Fashion and faith meet, on foreheads of the pious
• Muslim prayer rules may lead to marks
• Discover Magazine Brain: What happens to a linebacker’s neurons
• BNI: WHAT A SURPRISE! Muslim prayer bump (otherwise known as shitstain) is reportedly linked to traumatic brain injury and mental disorders
• TIME: The Brain of a Bomber: Did Damage Caused By Boxing Play a Role in the Boston Bombings?
• The Mark of the Beast… or just a nasty condition!

Tagged as: brain damage, zebiba, زبيب