Suicide Bombing

Taylor Maybeck Dr. Christopher English 110-12 3 February 2013 A Martyr or A Murder? Ever since the year 1983, the number of suicide bombing acts has risen significantly. Shockingly, most suicides are performed by people who are not “conformed to the typical profile of the suicidal personality… none of them [are] uneducated, desperately poor, simple-minded, or depressed,” according to author David Brooks (352). Suicide bombers give their own lives as a way to show loyalty and to be seen as martyrs to their people.
Many families urge their children to go through bomber training and recruitment, claiming that they will be happy if their children die while successfully killing “enemies. ” Suicide should not be praised, urged, or seen as an act of martyrdom by families unless it is a disastrous and uncontrollable situation. In Palestinian areas, suicide bombing has become an act of choice, and is a highly spreading enterprise ( Brooks 352). In their society, suicide bombers go through recruitment and training. Organizations praise their bombers and reward them by using several tactics.
Bombers are trained spiritually and told about the rewards they can receive in their afterlife, as well as bribed by being told that their family will be guaranteed a place with god. Families of the bomber are satisfied with the idea that they will go to god, and this also serves as motivation to the bombers themselves. Faith is not a subject of bribery and should never be used in such ways. Everyone has the right to create his or her own beliefs, and by being intensely trained for hours, bomber trainees become brainwashed.

This means that trainees no longer have the ability to make their own decisions on whether they need to perform the act of suicide. They see it as an obligation rather than an option. Aside from this, a television show has been created and is growing in its amount of viewers. Children start learning of the option of suicide at very young ages. In “The Culture of Martyrdom”, David Brooks states, “ Last year the BBC shot a segment about so-called Paradise Camps- summer camps in which children as young as eight are trained in military drills and taught about suicide bombers” (353).
Seeing suicide bombing on television, children get the idea that these bombers are comparable to superheroes, and that if they become bombers they too will be on television and popular in their community. Not only do bombers get praised by sacrificing their lives, but their families and friends also pressure them. The strangest aspect of suicide bombing is the fact that after the massacres, the bomber’s family is showcased in a televised interview. While the usual American family would react with sadness and hatred, Israeli and Western families react in a happy and joyful way.
Many interviews state that parents agreed if the opportunity was given to them again, they would send another child off to afterlife without hesitation (Brooks 353). Families urge their children to give their lives and do not view it as a disastrous event. Most children live to please their parents, and because of this, they do not make their own choices on becoming a bomber. Similar to how American families pressure their children by telling them their destiny is to attend college, these families tell their children their destiny is to be a suicide bomber and sacrifice their lives for others.
The difference between these two situations is that education is life changing, and bombing is life ending. Parents should not urge their children to end their lives for any reason. If a person is mentally stable and healthy, they should live their life as long as they are able, without any pressure to act in suicidal ways. A martyr is a person who suffers a death because of standing up for what he or she believes in. Those who die and become known as martyrs are usually citizens who were placed in horrible situations.
For example, the recent shooting in Newtown, Connecticut at the elementary school claims that teacher Victoria Soto is a martyr. This is because when a gunman attacked her classroom, she protected her students and gave her own life in order to save their lives. In no way did Soto choose to be placed in this situation, but when she was she gave her life to save others. Suicide bombers have no need to give their life by bombing enemies when the so -called “enemies” are not harming them. Bombers are told to walk into small food shops or buildings and wait for their bomb to go off.
However, they are sacrificing their lives due to a situation that they have created for themselves. If there is no harm coming their way, there should be no reason to give their lives unless it is during a time of battle. Brooks states that in Israel areas, “ Martyrdom [is] not just a means, but an end”(Brooks 352). Many suicide bombers give their lives, and may only successfully kill two “enemies. ” Sometimes they kill people who are not enemies; people who are normal citizens aiming to stay out of trouble are often harmed. That is not an act of martyrdom, but an act of murder.
Suicide bombing has become such a phenomenon, and the people have become so addicted to rush of vengeance and murder that they are overlooking the true definition of a martyr ( Brooks, 353). Suicide bombers give their lives as an act of loyalty, and a way to show bravery and integrity. However, families and communities should not praise this act or urge others to sacrifice their lives. The loss of a life should not be seen as a celebration. A martyr is not something someone chooses to be; it is something that someone has no choice but to be.
Children and young adults should not be raised or brainwashed into becoming suicide bombers. These bombers are healthy, stable people, giving their life to please corrupted people that surround them. It is extremely wrong for families to encourage members to act in a suicidal way, and the community should put an end to the madness of suicide bombing. Works Cited Brooks,David. “The Culture of Martyrdom. ” The Prentice Hall Reader: Tenth Edition. Boston:Pearson, 2012:350-354. Print Miller,George. The Prentice Hall Reader :Tenth Edition. Boston: Pearson,2012. Print