Self-Immolation Un-Islamic, Scolds Hamas
Another Palestinian recently set himself on fire in Gaza in protest of rising poverty, but Hamas officials have dismissed the protest on religious grounds, Mohammed Suliman writes.
On Feb. 21, Mohammed al-Namrouti, a 43-year-old resident of the Gaza Strip, set himself on fire inside the headquarters of the Gaza Ministry of Social Affairs in Jabaliya, north of Gaza City.
Local news agencies reported that Namrouti had gone to the office to obtain food assistance during which an argument ensued between him and officials and ended in Namrouti setting fire to himself.
According to medical sources, Namrouti remains in critical condition after being transferred to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City with severe burns covering his body. Four other individuals — three ministry workers and an elderly person — sustained moderate and serious burns from the incident.
Umm Saher al-Namrouti, Mohammed’s wife said that the “intolerable economic situation” that her family lives in is what pushed her husband to commit such an act, which is socially and religiously condemned.
