Assignment 4 - Kenna Miller

Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc, sets himself on fire during the Vietnam War to protest the prosecution of Buddhists, located in the middle of the road for all to see. The motive behind his doing is that the Catholic President Diem of South Vietnam decided to discriminate heavily against Buddhists, who made up almost the entire population. Many people and soldiers were forced to convert. Those who did not would risk everything. A celebration of Diem's elder brother was thrown earlier and the Roman Catholic flags were suggested to be flown. Many Buddhists were angry about the preference and protested. The government fired into the crowd, killing nine. Diem wouldn't take responsibility, thus sparking more anger. On June 11, 1963 Thich Quang Duc sat in the lotus position on a cushion in the middle of a Saigon intersection. With the assistance of two other monks, Thich Quang Duc became engulfed in flames. As his last documented words, he wrote: "Before closing my eyes and moving towards the vision of the Buddha, I respectfully please to President Ngo Dinh Diem to take a mind of compassion towards the people of the nation and implement religious equality to maintain the strength of the homeland eternally."

When I first saw this picture in World History, I was almost moved to tears. I felt and continue to feel deep sorrow for this monk and all others who perished at the hand of Diem's ignorance and discrimination. For the United States to side with the man who influenced this action, I have only anger and frustration. What really hurts is that religious suppression and discrimination still exist today, especially with the prominence of anti-Islam movements that are within and outside of the United States. I hope the ignorance of anti-Islamists never exceeds to those who are Muslim to self-immolate themselves like Thich Quang Duch.