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November 1, 2005

The Suicide Bombers Among Us

Topics: Terrorism

Be sure to read this powerful and disturbing essay by Theodore Dalrymple: The Suicide Bombers Among Us.

While Islamo-apologists try to convince us otherwise, Islamists consider suicide as not just legitimate but highly commendable when undertaken for reasons of jihad (sacred war).

Going into war knowing with certainty that one will die, they argue, is not suicide (intihar) but martyrdom (istishhad), a much-praised form of self-sacrifice in the path of God, a way to win the eternal affection of the houris in paradise.

A leading Islamist authority, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, recently explained the distinction this way: attacks on enemies are not suicide operations but "heroic martyrdom operations" in which the kamikazes act not "out of hopelessness and despair but are driven by an overwhelming desire to cast terror and fear into the hearts of the oppressors."

In other words, Islamists find suicide for personal reasons abominable, suicide for jihad admirable. If the EgyptAir copilot brought the plane down because he was depressed about his daughter's illness, he will burn forever in hell. If he did it to kill Americans in suburban Long Island, they might endorse his act.

Read more...

Hat tip - Little Green Footballs

Posted by Richard at November 1, 2005 2:42 PM

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• The Suicide Bombers Among Us - Nov 01, 2005