Posted on 08/09/2006 12:23:46 AM PDT by GodGunsGuts
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In writing my book on suicide attackers, I had researchers scour Lebanese sources to collect martyr videos, pictures and testimonials and the biographies of the Hezbollah bombers. Of the 41, we identified the names, birth places and other personal data for 38. Shockingly, only eight were Islamic fundamentalists. Twenty-seven were from leftist political groups like the Lebanese Communist Party and the Arab Socialist Union. Three were Christians, including a female high-school teacher with a college degree. All were born in Lebanon.
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Robert A. Pape, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, is the author of Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
A friend of mine from Finland emailed me the following comment on the above article:
BBC reported last night (for some reason, not yet to be found on its web site) a recent study by Robert Pape, according to whom the majority of Hizbullah suicide-bombings have been committed by former Communists, and less than 20 % by Islamists. According to these statistics, 41 researched incidents testify, that nationalism rather than religious fervor is the motivation of suicide-bombings.
The study confirms, what has been claimed before about how the Islamists actually adopted suicide-bombing tactics in the 1980s from Colombian guerrillas and drug-lords, who employed suicide-bombers ("sicarios") even before it became fashionable in the Middle East. According to Michael Pohly and Khalid Durán ("Osama bin Laden und der internationale Terrorismus", Ulm 2001, p. 73-75), Lebanese Hizbullah members, who studied in a Californian university in 1990, were very keen to learn from their professor about this tactics and its ideological justifications, because until then Islam (as well as the Catholic church) had rejected suicide as a sin against God. Nevertheless, South Americans (primarily Atheists) and soon an increasing number of Muslims committed suicide for political purposes. The ultimate motivation, however, was sacrifice for the family, which was paid for the act. Thus the first Lebanese suicide-bombers were typically Communist female students, who had neither religious scruples nor better chances to earn money for their family, and who were too westernized to dream about traditional family life. At the same time, the DFLP, a Palestinian communist splitter-group of the PFLP, with its military wing "The Read Eagles", joined Hizbullah in common resistance against Israeli occupation. Soon, the DFLP and other Palestinian left-wing groups were practically merged with the "Party of God".
Attempts to trace modern Islamist suicide-bombings to ancient Muslim or specially Shiite doctrines, fail to understand the real nature and complexity of the issue. Although Iran seemed to be exporting this tactics among its favourite terrorists in the Muslim world, today suicide-bombers can just as well be Sunni Muslims (as in Iraq), or Hindoos (as in Sri Lanka). There is no reason to assume, that Christians would be immune to this phenomena. In most cases, as was noticed already among alcohol-drinking terrorists like Muhammed Atta, deep religiosity is not the thriving factor, but rather a superficial rhetorical excuse. Religious conservatives are less likely to commit suicide-bombings than disillusionized fanatics of the extreme left, and other mentally imbalanced people.
bttt
anything from a credible source? =o)
MEMRI.org - Special Dispatch Series - No. 1111: Palestinian Legislative Council Member 'Umm Nidal' on Saudi Iqra TV: A Muslim Mother Should Raise Her Children for Jihad Interviewer Iqra TV Director-General Critical of Arab TV Channels That Don't Support Martyrdom Operations" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The following are excerpts from an interview with Palestinian Legislative Council member "Umm Nidal" Farhat, aired on Saudi Iqra TV, on February 19, 2006. TO VIEW THIS CLIP, VISIT: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1066" (March 10, 2006)
FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com: "CONVERTS TO TERROR" by Daniel Pipes (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Islamist terror organizations particularly prize converts. They know the local culture and blend in.") (December 6, 2005)
MEMRI.org - Special Dispatch Series No. 1032: "REFORMIST SAUDI AUTHOR: RELIGIOUS CASSETTES ADVOCATED JIHAD BY EMPHASIZING MARTYR'S SEXUAL REWARDS" (November 23, 2005)
MEMRI.org - Special Dispatch Series - No. 983: "COMMANDER OF HAMAS MILITARY WING WOMEN'S UNIT: 'Our Members Yearn for Martyrdom'" (September 9, 2005)
CORRIERE.IT/english: Turin - "TURIN IMAM DEPORTED -- "HE'S DANGEROUS" Accused of praising Bin Laden. Como-based Tunisian activist also expelled." (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The ten children taking part in the ring-o'-roses protest beneath the market clock in Porta Palazzo were all wearing suicide bomber belts. The year was 1997, and that was the first time Bouriqi Bouchta, whose idea it was, attracted Italys attention.") (September 7, 2005)
MEMRITV.org/Transcript - Video Clip No. 838 - 8/31/2005: " 8/31/2005 Clip No. 838: "Sheik of Al-Azhar Muhammad Tantawi Explains on Al-Hurra TV When a Suicide Bomber Becomes a Martyr and When He Is Not" (TRANSCRIPT SNIPPET: "Following are excerpts from an interview with Sheik of Al-Azhar Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi, which aired on Al-Hurra TV on August 31, 2005")
MEMRI TV.org - Clip No. 843 - Transcript: "SAUDI IQRA TV RAISES MONEY FOR PALESTINIAN INTIFADA" (TRANSCRIPT SNIPPET: "Caption: The Saudi committee for support of the Al-Quds Intifada. Account number 98, a joint account in all Saudi banks.") (August 29, 2005)
MEMRI.org - Special Dispatch Series - No. 909: "BAHRAINI AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST: THE PROPONENTS OF THE SUICIDE IDEOLOGY HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "In an article that appeared in the Saudi daily Al-Yawm, titled "The Globalization of Islamic Suicide" author and journalist Sawsan Al-Sha'er wrote that the extremist Islamist groups are taking advantage of global communications to recruit suicide bombers, and predicted the spread of the suicide bomber phenomenon to Britain as well.") (May 17, 2005)
MEMRI.org - MIDDLE EAST MEDIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE Special Report - No.32: "MEMRI TV Project Special Report: Arab and Iranian TV Clips in Support of Suicide Bombing" (September 1, 2004)
JIHAD WATCH.org: "RATIONAL, EDUCATED AND PROSPEROUS: JUST YOUR AVERAGE SUICIDE BOMBER" (May 15, 2004)
SAAG.org - SOUTH ASIA ANALYSIS GROUP: "SUICIDE & SUICIDAL TERRORISM" by B. Raman (March 12, 2004)
JIHAD WATCH.org (HAARETZ): "10 SUICIDE BOMBINGS FOILED OVER PASSOVER HOLIDAY" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "One of two Tanzim activists caught at the end of March told interrogators the group that sent them had planned a series of other attacks, including one with a device to which blood infected with AIDS would be attached.") (April 13, 2004)FrontPageMagazine.com: "AFFLUENT GENOCIDE" by Robert Spencer (October 14, 2003)
NEW SCIENTIST.com: "SUICIDE BOMBERS MAY SPREAD DISEASE" (July 24, 2002)
WTVT.com - FOX13 Investigative: "JIHAD FOR KIDS" (February 4, 2002)
Spread the word!
"europe your 911 is on its way"
"behead those who insult islam"
"behead those who mock islam"
very diverse group there.
HAARETZ.com: Jakarta - "ISLAMIC GROUP: 200 MILITANTS SENT TO BOMB 'ISRAEL'S VITAL INTERESTS'" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Western countries such as the United States and Britain, as well as businesses, could be targeted unless they cease supporting Israel, he said. Didu said the group was watching Australia's position on the Middle East conflict. "If John Howard makes a statement in support of Israel, he will be a target," Didu said. More than 3,000 people have signed up for the mission, and 217 people from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore have been dispatched abroad so far, he said.") (August 4, 2006) (Read More...)
MEMRI.org - Special Dispatch Series - No. 983: "COMMANDER OF HAMAS MILITARY WING WOMEN'S UNIT: 'Our Members Yearn for Martyrdom'" (September 9, 2005) (Read More...)
Extremely diverse.
Your interpretation is erroneous: putting aside the technology of the suicide bomber, one needs to include in the scope of consideration all those on suicidal missions. Thus, kamikaze pilots of WWII and, for example, one Gavrilo Princip [from 1914] need to be included. What is common to all of them is extra-strong sense of nationalistic identity. "Nationalistic" needs to be expanded to include supranational "umma" for foreign-born suicidal bombers in Iraq. But to include supranational class/ideological identity of conventionally defined communists could be a bit of a stretch. And if one is to talk of behavioral [i.e. non-traditionally defined] communists, then self-sacrifice is precluded by definition: could you imagine any circumstance under which hillary would go on suicidal mission? She could send others on it and not blink once, but to go herself? I hope that this illustration could help to clarify.
I read Bowden's Killing Pablo and I don't recall suicide bombers being mentioned in the book much less being widely used in the drug wars that went on down there. What I do recall is that Escobar used the car bomb to great effect, followed closely by the torture and killing of opponents, with what was left being dumped, for instructional purposes, in public places
Occupation is simply an excuse, not a reason. The bombings are what percipitated the occupation not vice versa.
The culprit is totalitarian expansionism whether it be Communism or Islamism. They were on the march before they were resisted. Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton did not resist them and what did that get us? It got us attacked.
The only meaningful resistence has been when RWR expedited the collapse of the USSR and sent a missile into Mohamar Kaddafi's tent and when GWB invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. Reagan quieted Kaddafi and Bush tried to do the same to Saddam. We now need to take shots at the other leaders. Kill the head and the snake dies.
All this "we made them mad" stuff is pure pap. Occupation is a result of what they are doing not the cause. The Communists still intend to rule the world and so do the Islamists. We are in the way of both of them and that is why we are where we are.
The point is, they are both working hand in glove against the US and its allies, such as Israel (indeed, they may be one and the same). I sure would like to know who/organization/country(s) are giving these fanatical Communists their orders. Wouldn't you???
==I read Bowden's Killing Pablo and I don't recall suicide bombers being mentioned in the book
I emailed my him about that. I'll ping you when he gets back to me. BTW, he is the author of numerous books and articles. Here's one of his articles, in case your interested:
http://www.cc.jyu.fi/~aphamala/pe/issue5/roots.htm
OH... MY... GOD!
Tell me the New York Times isn't trying to say Muslims are not the ones to blame, when it comes to suicide bombings.
If lying were a capital crime, these sons of bitches would be dead already.
Thought you might want to read the following backgrounders. I think it will help to shed some light on this thread--GGG
We Are The Next Target
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1666922/posts
Terrorists in Muslim Disguise
http://www.worldthreats.com/russia_former_ussr/Terrorists%20In%20Muslim%20Diguise.htm
Russia's Game in the Middle East
http://www.anti-communistanalyst.com/Russiasgame.htm
The Roots of Islamic Terrorism
http://www.cc.jyu.fi/~aphamala/pe/issue5/roots.htm
Thank you for the links.
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