Woman In Protest To Racism Self-immolates

KB · 10-18-2007, 10:27 AM

there's pictures of her burning, but to me its tolerable :dunno:

http://www.islamicity.com/forum/forum_post...p?TID=9917&PN=2

ok.. dont take this the wrong way, but is she black, or did she turn "black" from burning?"
:unsure:

**jmh0131** · 10-18-2007, 10:38 AM

Hmm...I really don't want to accidentallysee those pics, so I didn't click the link so can you give us more info about this story?

KB · 10-18-2007, 10:59 AM

the pix is at the VERY bottom of the article

dont be scared. just imagine a stunt man with flames down his back :unsure: :dunno:
its really not that bad <_<

**bajanempress** · 10-18-2007, 11:25 AM

Woah that is interesting... I'm not sure I've gathered my thoughts as yet- I'll be back.

As for the question about her blackness- she is Congolese so yes I would say she was black.

I'm wondering if this act had the effect intended and has opened some people's eyes to racism or if she has just come off as being crazy.

**jmh0131** · 10-18-2007, 11:44 AM

the pix is at the VERY bottom of the article

dont be scared. just imagine a stunt man with flames down his back :unsure: :dunno:
its really not that bad <_<
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Ok, I read the story.
I still won't look at the pics, I don't care what u say there is a bigg diff/ between seeing a stunt man and a regular old lady on fire. I saw a wikipedia article about an Asian monk who did the same thing, in the early 1990s I think, to protest... somethin. Anway, I can't remember his name, but you can do a search about the Intact Heart, or something like, and find out about him. My point was the witness accounts of the event were disturbing and he didn't scream or make a sound during his and the pic. from his self immoltion was even more disturbing.

Anyway, this lady's story was...interesting. The article was disturbing and I'm sure the pics were. (But stuff like this should be discussed.)

**MsShel330** · 10-18-2007, 05:06 PM

Interesting is the right word. It seems unclear if she was really protesting racism or her family's economic situation. Of course, racism could have been part of the reason for the problem; maybe the authorities were giving them a harder way to go than a white, native Belgian family would have had. The screaming makes me think that she didn't think this out too clearly, unlike the Buddist monk mentioned before (I think he was in the 60's or 70's and he was protesting Viet Nam?)

**britni** · 10-18-2007, 05:21 PM

I don't know what to say. I feel "weird" for watching those highly disturbing pics. I hope she is ok and feels like she accomplished something after this. :mellow:

**chinani** · 10-18-2007, 09:34 PM

I chose not to see the pics, but I read the article.

I really feel for her and her family right now. They saw burning is one of the most painful things that can happen to a person.

Personally I don't think she was protesting anything. I don't think she was being fake, but I think she is too mentally "unwell" to mean it when she says she is protesting racism. I mean, how is burning yourself alive in Belgium protesting racism? In light her financial difficulties and her letter, I think she was under serious stress etc.

And the husband ... ::sucks teeth:: ...he needs a psych eval. How you gonna go along with somebody when they promise to burn themselves alive? When that person is your wife? And y'all have kids?

**GalaxyGirl2012** · 10-20-2007, 10:00 AM

wow. self immolation has always fascinated me since i was little because there were lots of people doing it to protest the vietnam war. not saying that i'd do it :lol: there was a really famous case of an american man who did this at a protest. he tookj his baby daughter with him and handed her to someone else before he did it. of course noone knows why he brought he, but i think it was a statement to show why he felt that particular type of protest was important.

i think that we in the west have a taboo about this because it's seen as suicide and might be seen as crazy.

and id suggest that anyone who decides to do this that they first learn some jedi mind control like those monks who immolated themselves. running in the streets on fire screaming in pain kind of underlines the crazy factor and will overshadow your point. being able to calmly sit while it happens its a completely different thing

**Scribetastic** · 10-20-2007, 10:19 AM

I looked at the pictures. Yep, she was serious.

i think that we in the west have a taboo about this because it's seen as suicide and might be seen as crazy.
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I do think setting yourself on fire and then running screaming somewhat defeats the purpose. I'd try to go Zen too.

I'm not doing it :blush:, but different cultures have different values on this sort of protest. I don't know if the woman is crazy or not because I don't know the values of the society she was raised in. That's key to understanding how she views the world. What are the attitudes towards self harm in the Congo?

In Asia it's quite common. In Korea protestors will do some stuff that seems completely crazy. That ranges from suicide, fire, shaving their heads or hunger strikes (which is accepted in Western culture.)

But it's also happened in the U S of A: Chicago Man Self-Immolates in Protest of Iraq War