Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Profile of a Suicide Bomber

Yesterday a thirteen year old girl became the youngest suicide bomber in Iraq when she killed herself and 5 Iraqi guards. I wondered why a young girl, with her whole life ahead of her, would do this, it simply defies logic. So I looked around the Internet and found ‘Profile of a Suicide Bomber’ on an Israeli website which reads as follows, I'm assuming this information is correct:

The majority of terrorists committing these types of attacks come from modern radical Islamic groups. They refer to the death of the suicide bomber as "astashad" – the death of a holy one – man or woman – in the name of Allah. The act of suicide bombing is called "Amaliya Astashadiya" – an act of self-sacrifice. And the "battlefields" on which these "warriors" fight are Israeli population centers – soft targets such as malls, restaurants, markets, and buses; any public place that is crowded.

It should be noted that "Amaliya Astashadiya" is a modern term not found in any classic Islamic literature. It's a term common today in Palestinian society and the wider Arab world. The suicide bomber enjoys prestige and respect that comes from the courage he's showing by undertaking a mission of certain death. This modern aspect gives terrorism Islamic (religious) legitimacy.

The shahid according to classical Islam receives many rewards. He wins eternal life and is saved from judgment day. He is granted mercy for all his sins and can recommend 70 of his relatives to join him in heaven. The greatest reward, however, is the promise of "72 black-eyed virgins." In keeping with this promise, Palestinian posters proclaiming the heroism of the terrorist after his attack, refer to the suicide bombing as a wedding. The terrorist is portrayed as a groom walking to his wedding with songs and dancing…..on his way, of course, to join 72 virgins.

For female suicide bombers the reward is slightly different. They are granted the honor of marrying a shahid in heaven.

I wondered about her mother, was she aware of her plan, did she give birth to this child knowing that some day she might grow up to murder people and die at thirteen years of age? I refuse to believe it. I prefer to think the mother is so dominated by her husband and her male relatives she had no control over her daughter's future.

Will there ever be an end to the hatred.

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