Buddhism and self-immolation
The theology of self-destruction
[The Economist]Mar 22nd 2013, 18:11 by B.C.
MOST religions have strictures against suicide. But the theological calculus made by religious leaders often seems to change when communities are in a state of bitter conflict, and people are taking their own lives (and sometimes, but not always, the lives of others) in the apparent hope of furthering their community’s cause.
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the globally influential Muslim preacher based in Qatar, has made himself persona non grata in most Western countries by blessing what he calls “martyrdom operations”—in other words, suicide bombing—by Palestinians. “I do not automatically bless martyrdom operations, I bless them only under certain circumstances,” he has said, asserting that the Palestinians were a special case because they lacked other weapons. Some Muslim thinkers in the West have rejected this line, saying there should be no exceptions to the Islamic ban on suicide. (View full article)
