The motivation behind terrorism religious motivations for suicide bombing (self martydom) A FOCUS ON ISLAMIC SUICIDE BOMBERS Introduction - What is the problem? Video Clip - Crossing Over - PLEASE CLICK
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Presentation Transcript
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The motivation behind terrorism religious motivations for suicide bombing (self martydom) A FOCUS ON ISLAMIC SUICIDE BOMBERS<br>
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Introduction - What is the problem? Video Clip - Crossing Over - PLEASE CLICK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyYA7Idc63I
WARNING: This clip contains coarse language<br>
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Who is the suicide bomber? Not mainly depressed or lonely individuals
Are socially integrated, productive members of their community
Most are working-class and middle-class citizens
Most suicide terrorists are walk-in volunteers who are not long-time members of the terrorist organisation and, therefore, easy for intelligence services to track for years
Most suicide terrorists join the suicide terrorist group just a few months or even just a few weeks in order to do their very first act of violence - their own suicide terrorist attack (ABC, 2005)<br>
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Who is to blame? Al-Qaeda – a terrorist network.
Islam – The religion of the terrorist network.
The term itself “Islam”, is an Arabic word meaning “submission to God”, with its etymological roots firmly planted in Arabic “salam”, or in English “peace” (Bell, January 2002, p 82).
Most of the 1.3 Billion Muslims disagree with Al-Qaeda regarding it’s religious view (Bell, January 2002, p 85).<br>
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Who inspired Al-Qaeda? Dr Abdullah Azzam - founder of Al-Qaeda was inspired by Sayyid Qutb writings.
Osama Bin Laden - educated under Sayyid’s brother Muhammad Qutb.<br>
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Sayyid Qutb’s View of the West Egyptian philosopher: 1906 – 1966
Trip to America
Rejection of American culture - including individualism, sexual freedoms, materialism and child rearing responsibilities of women.
Modern world VS human nature
Nietzsche = Greek logic
Qutb = Christian and Jewish errors
View short film about Qutb:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XmPJhurB0k<br>
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Sayyid’s Qutb’s solution Islamist – A political society based on ancient Koranic principles & sharia law.
Resist western invasion of culture and find an Islamic way.
Jihad – has different interpretations
Internal struggle against impurity
Holy war against non believers
The impossibility of social change without the death of pure innocent souls ( the jihadist).<br>
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What is Jihad? To struggle in the cause of God. (Loboda, 2004)
Two questions arise from this definition of jihad:
1. What does it mean to “struggle”? And
2. What is the cause of God?<br>
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Why did Muslims in Mohammad's time commit Jihad? The early Muslim communities were surrounded by tribes and armies who wished to destroy Islam.
Jihad was necessary and the last resort to protect the peoples’ right to their own culture and faith.<br>
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Qutb’s Interpretation of jihad Jahiliyyah: Ignorance of divine guidance.
One who “rebels against the sovereignty of God on earth.”
Muhammad was sent to save people from jahiliyyah by calling for the recognition of one God and submission to Him.
Western civilisation has rejected Islam and refuses to accept the divine guidance provided through Muhammad.
Islam: The religion of the universe.
Obedience to any man-made government = Jahiliyyah
Due to the dominance of this evil (Jahili), Qutb believes that Islam must dismantle the West.
THE WAY: That every true Muslim must be a willing martyr to the victory of Islam.<br>
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What does martydom offer? A promise of an eternal heavenly paradise.
Fear of going to Hell (Pit of Fire) for not serving God to the fullest extent.
Glorious death (that through death he triumphs and realises his hope in God)
Ultimate expression of their submission to Allah and Allah’s cause.<br>
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Are suicide bombers only Muslim? Robert Pape’s book Dying to Win investigated 315 suicide attacks from 1980 to 2003.
Tamil Tigers: Hindu extremists, said to have invented the suicide jacket.
Hezbollah's campaign: only eight of 38 suicide terrorists he studied were Islamic fundamentalists. Most were from leftist political groups and three were Christian.
Japanese Kamikaze: used suicide bombing as a way of winning the war against the US in 1945.
Christian Crusaders: first suicide bombers.<br>
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What part does the media play? The propaganda machine is sophisticated and Al Qaida itself says that 50% of its war is conducted through the media. In Iraq, attacks are regularly videoed and the footage downloaded onto the Internet within 30 minutes
Media is used to promote fear, which gives terrorists more publicity<br>
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Conclusion Most Muslims are not Islamic terrorists. Rather, most Muslims are against the actions taken by these groups.
The religious motivations are varied.
Personally
Spiritually
Politically
Intellectually
Emotionally
Overcoming the modern day terrorist.<br>
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Sources ABC. (2005). US 'misread motivation' of suicide bombers. 7.30 Report. http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2005/s1418817.htm . Accessed August 5 2010.
Ali, Y. (2010). Are Jehad & Terrorism synonymous?. http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=41519. Accessed August 5 2010.
Bell, D. (January 2002). The World of Islam. National Geography. Australia
Berman, P. (October 11 2003). The Terrorists Philosopher. Good Weekend. Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney.
CBC News Online. (September 11, 2007). http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/sep11/ . Accessed August 5 2010.
Dial, N. (2010) Terrorism: Media and fundinghttp://circlethewagons.net/category/get-dialed-in-with-nick-dial/ . Accessed August 5 2010.<br>
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Sources Laboda, L. (2004). The thought of Sayyid Qutb. http://www.ashbrook.org/publicat/thesis/loboda/home.html.
McGregor, A. (May 5 2005). Al-Qaeda's Egyptian Prophet: Sayyid Qutb and the War On Jahiliya. The Jamestown Foundation. http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=449. Accessed August 5 2010.
Pape, R. (2005). Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism. Random House. New York.
WRF Publishing. (2010). Islamic Culture, Traditions and Terminology. http://www.majorreligionsoftheworld.com/islamic_culture_and_terminology_pg2.php . Accessed August 5 2010.<br>
