Suicide Attacks: A Historical Perspective
Suicide attacks, in which the attackers intend or expect to die together with their targets, were first recorded in the 17th century. Then, an official of China’s Qing Dynasty wrote that Dutch soldiers who invaded Taiwan would use gunpowder to blow themselves up together with their enemies when injured, rather than risking capture. In the 18th century, Ottoman sailors in the Middle East would set their ships ablaze before ramming them against those of the enemies.
Both the frequency and extent of suicide attacks have increased significantly since the first half of the last century. During World War 2, Japanese pilots mounted many suicide attacks on U.S. warships. In the Sri Lanka civil war, members of the Tamil Tigers separatists regularly mounted suicide attacks against military and civilian targets. In the U.S., the Twin Towers were completely destroyed by suicide attackers on September 11, 2001 with many lives tragically lost. And acts of suicide bombing have been frequently carried out since the second half of the 20th century until today in the Middle East, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. In almost all cases, the human bombers were followers of the Muslim faith.
Are Suicide Bombings Right Or Wrong?
Suicide attacks against armed enemy combatants, such as those mounted on a garrison camp, are generally regarded as fair military actions. However, when they are unleashed upon unarmed and innocent civilian targets, they are widely considered to be morally wrong. For example, what have women doing food shopping in the marketplace, harming no-one and with their infants and young children in tow, done to deserve being blown to pieces by suicide bombers?
But suicide bombers and their supporters have claimed that their actions are justified by teachings of their religion. According to them, these actions are against ‘oppressors’, and are therefore honorable martyrdom operations, for which the reward is paradise.
Yet many religious leaders do not agree with this view. Citing the Quran and Islamic doctrines, a number of Islamic scholars and clerics have voiced their objection against suicide bombings:
(1) “Indeed, my opinion is that he is regarded as one who has killed himself (committed suicide), and as a result he shall be punished in Hell, for that which is authenticated on the authority of the Prophet”. [sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam].
(2) “Indeed, whoever (intentionally) kills himself, then certainly he will be punished in the Fire of Hell, wherein he shall dwell forever.” [Bukhaaree (5778) and Muslim (109 and 110)].
(3) “. . . do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you.” [Soorah an-Nisaa., Aayah 29].
Going by the continuing incidents of suicide attacks in our present world, it is apparent that the pro-bombing camp has the upper hand. Sadly, this can only mean that more innocent lives will be unnecessarily lost going forward, with no end in sight.
Think About It
Should one condone or condemn the acts of suicide bombing in the name of religion? They are accepted by some quarters as often the only means by which the weak and oppressed could strike back against their overwhelmingly powerful oppressors. Do you agree? Does the end justify the means?
Previous posts
What Factors Influence Islamic Terroism?
Suicide Bombers – Heroes Of Hellfire, And Leading Towards Hellfire
Suicide Bombers – Are They Also Victims?
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