If you don't succeed, burn yourself! That's what I learned.

In my SJP class today, we were discussing nonviolence as a force. The class actually broke out into a huge debate where insulting started occuring and it was pretty crazy. Me, being the quiet, shy person that I am, didn't speak up at all. Do any of you remember the crazy guy named Curtis I talked about awhile ago with the whole pencil ownership thing? Yeah, well he brought up the issue today about a Muslim guy who lit himself on fire outside of the Whitehouse gates. I guess he wanted to speak with the government officials and he made his request by handing the guards a note that said URGENT on it and that he'd like to speak to people of authority. Well, of course this wouldn't work and the guards basically said screw you. So he covered himself in gasoline and lit himself on fire screaming "God is great" in Arabic. He did not burn to death, but once he recovered, he was obviously hauled away. This information solely comes from Curtis' mouth, and he said that it wasn't covered in any mainstream media, but rather the more "underground", if you will, sources. The Muslim guy who set himself a light wanted the media to cover him so that the world would see that nonviolence can be a force as well. Too bad for him, the media didn't cover him and he lived to see that his cause was not blatently heard. Poor guy.

Well, the whole "braul" we had in class today was about whether his actions were right. Basically it was one guy fighting the rest of the class claiming that suicide just isn't the answer. It's a really touchy subject because people who stand in front of bulldozers, tanks, trains, etc. are trying to make a statement, but sometimes they get killed. The guy in my class claims that that isn't suicide because someone else is willingly killing the person fighting the cause. But he thinks that the whole setting yourself on fire is suicide. My class claims that it is a worthy cause and it does speak out very clearly that something needs to be done. Sure, sometimes it does speak out clearly. But I really don't agree with setting yourself on fire and justifying it as a worthy cause. My professor claims that this IS nonviolence, but only because it's not toward others and that people can do whatever they want to themselves. Sorry, actually that was Curtis who claims that. But anyhow, it still is violence. Can't people get charged for attempted suicide? Maybe I'm wrong. Still, it's a horrible thing. You can make a statement just as well by doing something else, rather than burning yourself. The Muslim guy was angry at Bush for the war in Iraq because his family/friends/everyone he knows was being killed for nothing. I don't know, it just blows my mind that anyone would do such a thing to themselves. I think that the only thing that the mainstream media would be saying if they actually did cover his case, was that he was some crazed lunatic who wanted to kill himself and blame it on Bush. No, I don't think that. But I can easily see how the media might portray it.

Just the fact that the media didn't cover it says something. Hey, they control what the world sees pretty much, and why wouldn't he consider that they would just turn it around against him? I still can't believe anyone would want to do that. It sure does make a statement though about how much he's probably suffered because of the war in Iraq.

I don't really know much on the issue except for whatever was discussed in class, so feel free to bash me if you'd like.

I just thought it was pretty crazy.