Concept in Definition ABC

Immolation occurs when someone sacrifices something, including his own life, for an ideal. Therefore, it is an individual action that implies suffering and renunciation. It is an action originally linked to the religious phenomenon but over time it became a form of protest politics.

The verb immolar comes from the Latin word immolare and refers to a preparation of wheat flour and salt that was spread over the head of an animal that was going to be sacrificed. This ritual was very common in Ancient Rome.

The sacrifice of Abraham

In the Old Testament, specifically in Genesis 22, it is said that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. When Abraham was willing to obey by killing his son, an angel stopped him to prevent the immolation. The attitude Abraham's submission to God is a symbolic action for both Judaism and Christianity.

A form of extreme protest

There are many ways to express a protest. The most common is manifestation popular in which a group of people communicate their discomfort about something together. Sometimes individual protest can be associated with conspicuous actions (for example, when someone chains themselves in place to get attention).

Burning like a bonze is a very unusual way to immolate oneself, but from time to time news appears in this regard. In 2010 in Tunisia, a 26-year-old street vendor set himself on fire as a form of protest against the repression of the government and it was his action that triggered the Spring Tunisian Arabic.

This type of personal sacrifice or self-immolation is called "burning to the bonzo" (the origin of the expression It is related to the protests of Buddhist monks or bonzes who opposed the government of South Vietnam in the early 1960s). This extreme and desperate form of protest causes a great impact on the public opinion and whoever burns like a bonze usually becomes a popular martyr.

Suicide bombers who end up killing other people don't blow themselves up

With some frequency in the media communication News appear in which there is talk of the immolation of a terrorist using explosives on his own body and the consequent loss of human life. In this case, this term is used improperly, since the sacrifice of immolation has a personal character and should not be related to the death of other people.

On the other hand, if someone commits suicide for personal reasons that have nothing to do with some ideal, this word should not be used either.

Fotolia photos: GodoiJE / Sirikornt