April
05
/ 2023
Sati, the practice of a widow self-immolating on her husband's funeral pyre, remains one of the most controversial and emotive issues in South Asian culture. While some view it as a sacred funerary ritual, others see it as a barbaric act of violence against women. While the practice has been banned repeatedly over the centuries, it has never disappeared completely. Nevertheless, before we condemn something, it is important to understand it. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"106714","attributes":{"alt":"Young Hindu girl throwing herself on the funeral pyre of her beloved, the Sati practice, to illustrate a poem by Naw'i Khabushani, illustrated by Muhammad `Ali Naqqash Mashhadi circa 1657. (Public domain)","class":"media-image","style":"width: 472px; height: 630px;","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]] Young Hindu girl throwing herself on the funeral pyre of her beloved, the Sati
