Suicide terrorism is a relatively new phenomenon. Although most commonly associated with Muslims, it has been well documented that many non-Muslim terrorist groups have utilized the tactic of the suicide attack. Still, it is hard for most people - including the author - to understand how someone could resolve to strap a bomb on his chest and detonate it among innocent people in order to commit mass murder. For the terrorists of the Muslim flavor, they justify such action by claiming that being a suicide bomber is an act of "holy war," and in traditional Muslim theology, the one who dies in "holy war" will become a martyr that instantly goes to Heaven.

I have thought long and hard over their religious justifications. They make absolutely no sense. First of all, murder is strictly forbidden in Islam:

"And do not take a life that God has made sacred, except for just cause." (17:33)

By no stretch of the imagination is killing innocent people a "just cause." Second, suicide is equally forbidden by the Qur'an:

"And spend for the sake of God, and do not invest in ruin by your own hands. And do good, for God loves those who do good." (2:195)

The Qur'an also says:

"And do not kill yourselves, for God has been merciful to you." (4:29)

The strict prohibition against suicide is also mirrored in the prophetic literature. During one of the battles at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), there was one Muslim who fought very bravely, and the Companions (r) praised him to the Prophet (pbuh). He said, "He is of the companions of the Fire." One of the Companions was astonished to hear the Prophet (pbuh) say this, and so he followed that brave Muslim fighter in the battle. When that fighter became injured, he killed himself.

Thus, the suicide bomber doubly betrays the principles of Islam by killing both himself and others in one fell swoop.

But, more than this, it seems there is another layer to the religious motivation of the suicide bomber: the "instant ticket" to Paradise with the press of a button. This is a distortion of centuries of Islamic tradition. The purpose of life on earth is to do one's best to live a good life, in accordance with the commandments of God. Although Islam actively encourages worldly success, it should never distract the person from fulfilling what God has commanded:

"But seek the abode of the hereafter with what God has bestowed on you, and do not forget your part in this world. And be good, as God has been good to you. And do not seek corruption on earth, for God does not love the corrupt." (28:77)

That process of "seeking the abode of the hereafter" is not without hardship. The path to salvation is - and always has been - a difficult one. This is the essence of jihad - often mistranslated as "holy war" - which literally means "struggle." Jihad is the struggle to rise above human temptation and do good on earth. The Prophet Muhammad even said that the battle against one's own temptations is the "greater jihad."

Being a devout believer is hard: you can't do many of the things other people get to do; you can't eat all the things other people eat; you can't drink all the things other people drink; you can't indulge in some of the pleasures in which other people indulge. It can be lonely at times, and it is a definite struggle. This struggle, this jihad, takes patience and perseverance. You have to be patient on the path of God.

But the reward for this patience is Heaven, as illustrated by this Qur'anic verse:

"...and the angels enter their presence from every gateway [saying]: 'Peace be upon you, for you were patient; and how excellent the reward of paradise!'" (13:23-24)

To think that one can bypass the struggle to live a good life on earth - essentially "cut in line" - and go straight to heaven by becoming a suicide bomber would be laughable if it was not such a tragic line of thought that has led to the pain and suffering of scores of innocent human beings.

Perhaps some suicide bombers in some areas of the world do not subscribe to this line of thinking; there are some, I am sure, who truly have lost all hope for a meaningful life, who are in profound despair from the oppression they have suffered. Dying as a suicide bomber may be their way to free themselves from a terrible life. It is still not right. It does not justify their actions in the least; it does not make killing innocent people right. Killing innocent people - be they Jew, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, or Muslim - is never, ever right.

But, if someone walks into a mosque full of worshippers on Friday and blows himself up: it is not out of despair. It is not out of desperation. It is so that he can - in his twisted mind - speed up his journey to Heaven where his "72 virgins" are waiting for him. What a satanic mindset! His action is not "jihad in the path of God": his action is not "holy war." He is not a martyr, but a vile and vicious murderer. Last I checked, murderers are punished severely by God.

Getting to heaven is tough work, and it requires a lifetime of struggle against human weakness and temptation (along with God's grace), not the press of a button on a suicide belt. That is a cowardly cop-out. If one struggles to do what is right, it gives meaning to the salutation of the angels in Paradise: "Peace be upon you, for you were patient." That is how it has always been, and that is how it will always be.

"Suicide terrorism is a relatively new phenomenon." Hassan-i-Sabbah?

I just don't understand how grown up men and women can talk of 'heaven' and 'hell'! This is so naive and childish. Can't a physician address this issue in grown up terms instead of saying 'God will punish you for it!' as if you are talking to a child who did something which is minor but nonetheless wrong- like fibbing!

Assalaam alaikoum.
This is a very good article and makes the same point I try to bring up in many different sites. Thanks for putting it so clearly. Insha Allah, I can use this link so others can read.

As much as I agree with the article, isn't this all already known/accepted by the majority of Muslims?

I mean, taken objectively like this, suicide bombing obviously is wrong. But the people doing these acts aren't living in an objective world. They're living in a world of twisted facts, lies, propaganda and whispers. The person who straps on the bomb has been manipulated and lied to by someone else who carries influence and authority, someone who knows how to manipulate others' desperation and nihilism, someone who sees the world in confrontational terms. The real crime comes from those who convince and manipulate the fragile people into becoming "martyrs" in the first place.

Plus, the bomber may think they're doing it for 72 virgins or Paradise or whatever, but these are just rationalizations, reinforcements given by the manipulator. The bomber is unconsciously doing all this to "fit in" with the gang mentality and with the worldview the manipulator has fed them. It's not they they're trying to get into Heaven; it's that they're unconsciously and desperately trying to get out of whatever Hell they are in, real or imagined. They aren't thinking about victims as human beings; they see them as "cockroaches."

Shiraz,

I know you mean well, but it appears to me you are not looking at the evidence we have.

1. In most of these cases the suicide bombers led good lives. If you want to see troubled people you should go to poor countries like India and Pakistan and see the 'hell' they are living in. Saudis? British born Pakistanis? Now Doctors?!! I am sure there are psychological explanations you can come up with to say that material wealth is not a measure of mental well being etc., but I am considering that also when I refer to the slums of India as 'hell'. No, they are not doing this because they are 'troubled' they are doing it because they already have hate and someone exploits that hatred (as you correctly pointed out).

2. They do not think of the victims as cockroaches because, I am sure, being true Muslims they do not believe in killing an animal for no reason. They must therefore see these victims as 'evil people' in order to justify the murder in their minds. Like one of the bombers in England who was recently convicted, he turned towards a woman who was pregnant (or carrying a baby - I forget) and tried to discharge his bomb pack; it did not go off. He did not do it because he felt she was an insignificant cockroach, he hated her and the baby enough to WANT to kill them. By not recognizing this fact, you are minimizing the point of his act; which is, immeasurable hate!

Foolkiller,

Good points, perhaps I could clarify.

1. As far as "hell", I said "real or imagined". I wasn't talking specifically about poverty, but about a sense of entrapment or cultural humiliation as well, which is a factor in how recruitment into militant movements occurs. It's this whole "clash of civilizations" claptrap that people do buy into, where the narrative dictates that Muslims can "do no right" by Western observers, etc. It becomes an inescapable "hell" (counterpoint to Dr. Hassaballa's view that the bombers are doing this to get to Heaven).

2. As for "cockroaches", I mean simply that there is a dehumanizing aspect to branding people as "evil" and judging them accordingly, failing to recognize the human connection to them. The reference of "cockroaches" is from Rwanda where neighbor could be turned against neighbor because they "others" were "cockroaches" that had to be "exterminated". We're not there yet, thankfully, but from a rhetorical point of view, the argument is similar. It is essentially that people are taught to hate, or have their hate intensified, to the point where there is a justification or rationalization for why murder becomes acceptable or even necessary in their view.

Thanks for bringing up those points.

>>By no stretch of the imagination is killing innocent people a "just cause."<<

Does 'our' killing 'their' innocents justify their killing ours? You have left revenge out of the equation. This is an all too human tendency I'm afraid.

Unfortunately for Islam, this hatred for non-Muslims is taught and propagated by imams and other religious leaders who seem to have a personal agenda. What needs to happen is more and more imams need to speak out publickly against this travesty against Islam and against innocent civilians. I still don't understand why we are not hearing more voices against the violence and terrorism that is being associated with Islam. Why aren't prominent Islamic leaders publickly denouncing suicide bombers and other terror tactics? And when I say "publickly" I mean in the world media.

Narjis, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died as a result of this brutal invasion and occupation led by our Christian fundametalist president. How many Christian leaders are speaking out "publicly" against this? When you compare the scale of the attrocities, hopefully you realize how ridiculous you sound.

Well, a guy making a speech or issuing a statement, by itself, is rarely newsworthy, unless it's made by Al Gore or Dick Cheney or someone like that. The Pope makes speeches all the time, and it only gets picked up if it ends up creating another news event. Maybe if such a denouncement were accompanied by a Million Muslim March or something like that, it might be heard.

There may be a question of not being interested in hearing the "rational" voices, but I think the greater issue is that news is highly competitive, and only when something really extreme and confrontational comes out, like a bombing or a ideological tract, do editors pay attention. News today is attracted by confrontation and extremity of opinion, and has a very difficult time tracking things like cultural movements such as fundamentalism or progressivism, or whatever.

Abu Nurah, returning evil for evil is not the proper way to deal with atrocities. This type of mind set you are propagating is what leads others to commit such horrendous acts of violence. I do not believe American should be involved in Iraq. It is a civil problem that needs addressing by the residents of Iraq. I am one voice in the US, but I have made my opinions known. I agree with ShirazJanjua. Maybe something like a Million Muslim March on Washington, DC would get the Muslim Moderate Majority heard by the world, if only for 15 minutes. Allah knows what is best for us all, alhamdoulilah. It is for sure that we puny humans are doing a great job mucking up the whole thing.

Salaam Alaykum Narjis, I am not advocating revenge. I'm merely pointing out that the desire for revenge is a key factor in all of this. When you brutalize people, they will often want to get back at you. I think this is very natural.

Wa alaykoum salaam, Abu Nurah, yes, revenge is very natural, but Allah SWT has taught us thru the Quran that He is the One to whom revenge belongs. This is my point. These imams are not teaching Quran. They are bent on revenge and rationalize the killing by saying these people will receive Paradise for this. Why can't more of the imams against this behaviour speak out against it? Where is the peer pressure? I mean no offense, I am just speaking out of frustration for this situation.

I have never heard an Imam advocate killing innocents, or anyone for that matter. Whose sermons are you tuning into?

There are many (insert label here) who have bigger fish to fry than to be bothered with prescribing Quranic-style justice, but feel free to manipulate whatever Quranic verses they can to justify their tactics.

BTW - The very same verses al-Qaeda uses to justify their attacks are the same ones Muslim bashers use to be critical of Islam. Talk about having it both ways...

Frankly, I'm surprised that the verse "God will not change the condition of a people until they change it themselves" is not used more by bomber/losers, because that is EXACTLY what they are succeeding to do.

What ever happened to "a wrong is a wrong is a wrong?" Maybe I just answered my own question. Unfortunately, collateral damage is just another word for political cover.

Suicide terrorism is a relatively new phenomenon.

Eh? Who were the original Assassins, and how long ago did they operate?

I have thought long and hard over their religious justifications. They make absolutely no sense.

Sense and religion sometimes go together, sometimes not.

Has it not occurred to you, Doctor, that religious influences may not be as important in creating suicide bombers as indoctrination, compulsion, and cultural attitudes are? Isn't it like looking for the cause of a diabetic's condition in food additives rather than the fact he feasts with his buddies every night and is 200 pounds overweight?

Suicide attacks has nothing to do with religion. It is an age old tactic used by the religious and secular alike. Solomoan's jewish extremism displays his lack of character and intelligence.
Just about every country or cause glorifies people who are willing to die for it. Masada, the site of the mass suicide of Jewish Zealots, is an inspiration for modern Zionists. Christianity deifies martyrs who willingly faced Roman lions rather than deny their faith. Even Jesus is worshipped because he could have escaped, but instead faced crucifixion to spread his new religion. Plus all modern wars have the heroes who volunteered for suicide missions.

Although a few years ago martyr bombers would record pre-attack videos to document that they had gone on their missions willingly, such videos have dwindled to nothing. So one answer may be that not every "suicide bomber" actually meant to become one. Some were just told to drive a tanker from here to there, others were told to do it or else an illicit relationship would be exposed, others feared for their families, and so on.

There are other inducements. It's no coincidence that organizations sponsoring martyr bombers also run extensive social services. They discovered quite some time ago that they couldn't get "volunteers" unless they could assure that relatives of the martyr bomber would be cared for.

From slave martyr bomber to slave martyr then is just a short step. The civilians trapped inside rocket launching sites disguised (in violation of international law) as schools and homes in Lebanon are a prime example. Both Hezbollah and Israel knew that once the shooting started, these would be the primary victims. Israel gave warning and many civilians were able to evacuate. But some were compelled to stay, and when Israel struck back at the launching sites and command centers, these civilians were killed.

BushTerrorWarForMakeBenefitGloriousNationOfIsrael actually makes a good point by mentioning the Zealots here. I think the martyr bombers of today are very, very similar.

The Zealots were a radical and violent faction who seized control of Jerusalem and its environs and forcibly compelled its population to fight Roman control to the very end, resulting in far greater destruction and loss of life than would have been otherwise. The rabbis say this all happened because of baseless hatred: both the Zealots' hatred of their fellow Jews, and their hatred of the Romans.

The Zealots are no longer considered a fit example for Jews to follow. Will Islam suffer a similar fate?

Discussions of the moral right or wrong of suicide bombings are worthy topics, but let’s move for a moment to and equally important viewpoint—the logical one. What is the goal and will it help achieve that goal? If Muslim-on Muslim killing in Iraq were not occurring and the citizenry and border-crossing terrorists were to stay home, the US would already be withdrawing and the Iraqis would have a much better chance for forming a stable government.

If suicide bombers worldwide were a rarity, the world would certainly have a higher opinion of Muslims. What does it really accomplish other than disgracing Muslims in the eyes of the world and angering their opponents? Have you noticed that none of these attacks have caused their enemies to say “These guys are scary—we should back down and agree to their terms.” The only result is more confrontation. So what logical benefit results?

There is no rationale, just delusional brainwashed young men who are goaded to a fury and idealistic fervor by old men who bask in the power they wield over the followers they proselytize. I believe these “leaders” own inferiority complexes and egotistical need for power and recognition are continuing to lead their countries to ruin as surely as heroin addicts who abandon constructive lives wind up living for the needle are too weak to abandon it even when they realize the cost.