Concept of Martyrdom Essay

The world became astounded after it has witnessed one of the greatest tragedies of humankind. September 11, 2001 is the date where the international community has been introduced to an unknown face of an enemy. With no specified structure, its organization remains to be a vague concept with evidences and facts which are not thoroughly determined. The world is unsure who to put the blame when the phenomenon of terrorism has been revealed, thus, resulting into preconceived notions of racism to track down its roots. Perhaps the conscious recognition of terrorism launched a new concept of war in international affairs. The conventional war used to occur between two states and their respective allies, but after the World Trade Center attack, the war is waged against individuals and factions suspected of terrorist activities. Led by the United States, the war on terrorism commenced and military forces moved to alleged havens of terrorist groups which are mostly situated in the Middle East. Information regarding these factions has been acquired and the most famous of them all is named as Al Qaeda. From this information, terrorism eventually earned an identity and a face where the most wanted man in America has been associated as Al Qaeda’s leader. Osama Bin Laden, the notorious man suspected of numerous American embassies bombings even prior to the 9/11 attack. The war to hunt down Al Qaeda revealed other terrorist groups whose network stretched all over the world. As terrorism information expanded to the public, the international community saw how these groups and its members carry out their tasks to be able to hit their targets. From hijacking public transportations to kidnapping, terrorists have been known to be trained to conduct these acts. As the war on terrorism continues, the means of terrorists in fulfilling their tasks are increasing and expanding just as much as the growth of their membership. The following discussion will focus on one method of terrorism which is prominent in attacking sectors of society and have stirred strong concerns from spectators who witness the damages it cause. Suicide terrorism, as derived from its name, usually refers to an individual who has bombs attached on his or her own body and detonate it within the proximity of the target. The hijacking of planes of 9/11 is also considered as part of suicide terrorism. The usage of suicide is not a new means in the field of warfare; however, what made suicide terrorism as horrific as it is today is for the reason that it targets civilians, unlike in conventional war where it aimed at combatants. Since the whole concept of warfare has shifted its participants, acts of terrorism reflect a deeper background which needs to be further understood. First is to provide a general history of suicide attacks prior to 9/11 which focus on the evolvement of using suicide from non-terrorists to terrorists. It will be followed by examining the role of religion to the terrorist factions and how the concept of martyrdom serves as a religious duty. Following the flow of the discussion, this leads to elaborating how these groups perform suicidal attacks operating under principles established by the organization. This is to attempt in looking suicide terrorism in totality to be able to determine its implications on society. History of Suicide Terrorism In his recent book entitled Suicide Bombers in Iraq, Mohammed Hafez (2007) described suicide attacks or terrorism as â€Å"a premeditated attack by an individual who willingly uses his or her body to carry or deliver explosives to attack, kill, or maim others† (p. 6). From the preceding texts it has been briefly mentioned that suicide attack is not a new method to be used in any form of battle. Even prior to the 9/11 incident, suicide attacks has been consistent in the concept of â€Å"self-sacrifice for the interest of a broader cause† (Linden, 2003, p. 77). Before suicide attacks has been used by terrorists — tagged as part of non-state actors in the international community — this form of attack has been utilized by state combatants especially during the world wars. Kamikaze: Tactical Suicide Such notable for using suicide to gain larger benefits is the infamous Japanese Kamikaze which surprised the Americans during the sudden attack of Pearl Harbor. The usage of kamikaze has been used especially at the height of the Pacific war where Japanese pilots crashed their fighter planes into the enemies’ largest warships to further incapacitate its advantage for battle. This form of suicide attacks is determine as the tactical kind of suicide (Battin, 2005, p. 241) but it is more than just a war strategy. It is considered a duty to be fulfilled not just as a soldier but as a Japanese living to the ideology of a dignified death which is deeply embedded in their culture. Lebanon Bombings: Start of the Terror Trend The creation of dynamite from the late 1800s later evolved into customized portable bombs which are attached secretly into public facilities. By the time the production of these explosives became abundant, it has been used for performing small-scale attacks which are more inconspicuous and less suspicious attaining higher possibilities of killing the target. After the major world wars, civil wars ensued within countries especially those which are left torn by the Cold War. Prominent suicide attacks frequently occurred during the civil wars in Middle Eastern countries, one of the most significant events which gave meaning to a new concept for suicide attack are the bombings in Lebanon in early 1980s. The targets became the embassies of foreign states which have been participating in the civil war as either allies or peacekeeping forces (Hafez, p. 7). The high rates of property damages and death tolls prompted for the removal of other foreign forces out of Lebanon which made a significant impression that suicide attacks in this form are effective (Hafez, p.7). The bombings in Lebanon started the trend for the modern day suicide attacks. Basically, the two events that have been mentioned conveyed the division line which showed the difference of how attacks transformed from a part of a war strategy to inducing terror alone. The so-called success of the bombing in Lebanon in 1980s paved the way for the creation of non-state factions who act independently without any government support. Using suicide attacks became an essential method in inducing terror into a society to either kill or send a message to their enemies. Suicide terrorism encompasses a diverse field of goals whether for political reasons, economics, or attaining recognition. However did the purpose of suicide attacks expanded into, performers of this act surely behaved according to a set of principles and ideologies. These principles maybe rooted out from one’s culture such as the Japanese Kamikaze and others can be derived from nationalism, idealism, motivated by personal interests, and religion. The focus of this paper will deal with religion as the main motivation for the modern suicide attacks usually associated with religious extremists in the Middle East.