Muslim culture and female self-immolation: implications for global women's health research and practice.

Self-immolation among young Muslim women in parts of the Middle East and Central Asia increasingly is becoming a cause of death and disability. Very little is known about this phenomenon. Thus, in this article we (1) examine, from the perspective of Muslim culture, the phenomenon of self-immolation among young Islamic women in the Muslim countries of Central Asia and the Middle East; (2) describe current international activities regarding Islamic female self-immolation; and (3) discuss the implications of Islamic female self-immolation for global women's heath research and practice.