The nun who became a symbol of resistance

Is moral courage stronger than physical force? A photograph of a nun pleading with police in Myanmar not to use violence against demonstrators reminds us of the power of peaceful protest. It is a powerful image: a Catholic nun in a white habit kneeling in front of armed police. Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng was begging them not to shoot protestors. “Just shoot me if you want to,” she said. Two of them knelt down with her. More than 60 people have been killed since Myanmar’s military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government on 1 February. Despite Nu Tawng’s action, two men were shot, one in front of her. But the photograph has made her a symbol of resistance. It is also a reminder of other images of courage. One was the photograph taken in 1989 of a man blocking tanks in Beijing, after the Chinese government suppressed pro-democracy demonstrations. Another was the photo of a protestor placing a carnation in a rifle during an anti-Vietnam War march on the Pentagon in 1967. A photo from the Black Lives Matter movement shows a woman in an elegant dress, standing as she is arrested by police wearing body armour. The tradition of nonviolent protest owes much to Mahatma Gandhi. He argued the best way to resolve a situation was to behave in an exemplary manner. In ancient times, the importance of individuals standing up to tyranny was strong. Sophocles’s play, Antigone, focuses on a woman who risks her life by defying Creon, the ruler of Thebes. Is moral courage stronger than physical force? We shall overcome No. Nu Tawng was unable to stop the killing. The man who defied the tanks in Beijing could not stop the government suppression. Alexei Navalny’s protests in Russia failed to dislodge Putin and resulted in jail. Yes. Movements for change are stronger if they have an inspring figure. The success of the movement in India can be attributed to Gandhi. In Czechoslovakia, Václav Havel was thrown into prison, but his example emboldened others in the struggle for democracy.   KeywordsPentagon - The headquarters of the US Defence Department, so-called because it has five sides. In 1967, peace protestors attempted unsuccessfully to levitate it (making it rise into the air) until all evil emissions had fled, in the hope of ending the Vietnam War.