Immolation

Immolation is destruction by fire, that is, burning something to destroy it. In its usual sense, this "destruction" is a sacrifice of a living being (see animal sacrifice, human sacrifice).

Self-immolation

Self-immolation is the act of setting oneself ablaze, most often in political protest. It is considered to be among the most powerful symbolic acts of sacrifice. It also may be a part of religious rituals (see ritual suicide).

While this is suicide, it is unconventional as it is long and extremely painful. This makes it a powerful statement, a way of stating one's absolute dedication to a position or belief, such that it warrants literal self-sacrifice.

A number of Buddhist monks, including Thich Quang Duc, self-immolated in protest of the discriminatory treatment endured by Buddhists under the pre-communist South-Vietnamese regime — even though violence against the self is discouraged by Buddhist authorities, such as the Dalai Lama.

Two Americans immolated themselves in 1965, in religious protest of the Vietnam War; the first was Norman Morrison, who performed the act after reading an article by a missionary about the destruction of a Vietnamese village by napalm. The other was Roger Allen LaPorte. On or about May 11, 1970, twenty-year-old George Winne Jr. immolated himself on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. He left a sign saying "For God's sake, stop the war".

In Prague, Jan Palach immolated himself in January 1969 to protest against the recent Soviet military backlash against the reform socialist "Prague Spring" movement.

Romas Kalanta self-immolated as a protest against Russia (Soviet Union) occupying Lithuania. This triggered student uprising in Kaunas.

On April 7, 1989, the pro-Taiwan independence publisher Cheng Nan-jung self-immolated rather than submitting himself to arrest for having published a draft of the Republic of Taiwan constitution. His action was soon followed by the self-immolation of another activist during Cheng's funeral procession.

In the 1990s several Korean students also chose to self-immolate in the waves of mass protests against the country's then authoritarian government.

MIT student Elizabeth Shin committed suicide in this manner.

During the trial of Mr. Bhutto, prime minister of Pakistan, one person in Sargodha self-immolated.

See also

• Sati