Martyrdom operation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A martyrdom operation is a military or terrorist attack in which the attacker is expected to die; most often a suicide bombing. The term is used by armed Muslim militants, or other similar or related groups. Islamist militants use this term as they do not see their attacks as an act of suicide, which is prohibited by Islam. While most combat involves a chance of death, a "martyrdom operation" implies a deliberate act of self-sacrificial suicide and a systematic form of terrorism. The term is a neologism.
In Arabic, suicide bombings or martyrdom operations are called Shuada or Is-shtahad, both coming from the root Shaadi ("Testimony") that refers to the act of declaring one's belief in Islam. The suicide bombers are called "Shahids" and after their death attain the rank of a Martyr.
[edit] History
Osama bin Laden called the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon a "martyrdom operation." Palestinians primarily speak of a ‘martyrdom operation’ as opposed to ‘suicide bombing.’ The Iraqi administration referred to suicide attacks on invading troops during the 2003 Iraq war in these terms also, and, in particular, their promise to retake the Baghdad airport.
[edit] External links, resources, references
- An Islamist view of Martyrdom Operations
- The Culture of Martyrdom How suicide bombing became not just a means but an end by David Brooks in The Atlantic Magazine June 2002
- The Birth of Suicide Bombings as a Popular Weapon
- Defending the Transgressed Fatwa against suicide bombing by Shaykh Muhammad Afifi al-Akiti
- The Logic of Suicide Terrorism by Bruce Hoffman published in The Atlantic Magazine June 2003
- Women who terrorize by Andy W. Knight and Tanya Narozhna published in The Globe and Mail, September 2004
- Suicide Bombers Why do they do it, and what does Islam say about their actions?
- The Hijacked Caravan Study refuting suicide bombing in Islam by Ihsanic Intelligence
- What makes suicide bombers tick? - Suicide bomber profile and info
See also: Jihad, Islamic Terrorism, terrorism, asymmetric warfare, assassination, suicide bombing, martyr
