[Karbala, August 7. Image via Getty.]
A Shiite Mulsim woman holds two candles during prayers at a shrine in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala, 100 kms south of Baghdad, in the early hours of August 7, 2009 at the start of celebrations commemorating the birth of Imam Mahdi, revered by Shiites as the coming Messiah. Mahdi is the 12th Imam who disappeared in the ninth centry and Shiites believe that he will appear before the end of time to establish justice and true Islam in the world. AFP PHOTO/MOHAMMED SAWAF (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP/Getty Images)