New millennium has brought with it the curse of suicide belt ...

Suicide , explosive or “shaheed” belt...

weighs about 5-20 kg

have explosives like TNT (TRI NITRO TOLUENE) and TATP ( ACETONE PEROXIDE) known as mother of satan because of its instability and high amount of enery released.

The explosive is surrounded by a fragmentation jacket that produces the shrapnel responsible for most of the bomb's lethality .

The most dangerous and the most widely used shrapnel are steel balls 3-7 mm in diameter. Other shrapnel material can be anything of suitable size and hardness, most often nails, screws, nuts, and thick wire. Shrapnel is responsible for about 90% of all casualties caused by this kind of device.

In the Press conference held by interior ministry, spokesperson MR CHEEMA said “ LET’S MAKE IT VERY CLEAR THERE IS NO WAY KNOWN TO DETECT OR STOP A SUICIDE BOMBER (WEARING SUICIDE BELT), JAMMERS CAN ONLY JAM A BOMB ACTIVATED THROUGH SIGNALS( REMOTE CONTROL) BUT SUCIDE BELT IS ACTIVATED MANUALLY”

IF the shrapnels are metal bearings, nuts, nails... obviously they are made up of iron ( as plastic, if used, wouldn’t be lethal and hardly injure any body)..
to my knowledge metal detectors are easily available in markets at least in dubai they are found in open market and their price depends on quality

so how come our army , intelligence or other agencies fail to detect suicide belt?

secondly.. there must be some preventive measures.. what are they?..from where they are getting explosives?

recent intelligence reports ( ISI and FBI) tells that 7 suicide bombers have successfully penetrated in islamabad and rawalpindi.. to complete few evil designs of zawahri... their target might be any shia alim’s rally during moharam or any political leader.....

i welcome your honest opinions, logical arguments and discussions
how to get rid of this curse and what are the possible preventive measures one can take to protect himself and surrounding

Undoubtedly, Huriya has initiated a thread of great significance which bears eloquent testimony to our country's inability to take both proactive and preventive measures to confront suicide terrorism effectively to an enormous extent. Although suicide terrorism can only be defeated, to use a hackneyed phrase, by winning the hearts and minds of people yet our authorities need to realize the dire need to having equiped with modern technology. Both the developed and under-developed countries have the strong pursuit to equip its institutions with modern technology; on the other hand, Pakistan significantly lags behind in equipping its Intelligence Agencies with modern tools and technology. Therefore, Pakistan desperately needs to have the state of the art technology and use of forensic science to ascertain the very intricate cases like the recognition of suicide bombers.

Pakistan both possess resources and well-trained people; but the only need is to replace our corroded machinery with modern equipments to encounter lethally equipped terrorists and suicide bombers.

Please embelish this thread with your valued comments.

Regards,

Muhammad Asif Raza

As Huriya mentioned that these "suicide jackets" don't hv ordinary explosives,they are made up of special explosives materials,which i think can't be made in backward areas of FATA or Afghanistan.Some modern machinery is making these "suicide jackets".One of my relatives is in ISI.He is suspecting "RAW" as the main provider of these jackets to these extremists groups.

__________________
Think,think n just think!

i wrote it a week back.. but didn't know my city lahore would be the first target...alas..
yes i must add to tahir's message, they know suicide bombers have penetrated, they know their location...why they cant tape their calls, bomb their satan workshops...?
they can tape abdullah mehsuds call with some maulana and trasnslate it.
dont they know from where he was calling?

actually this is the work of some inside "osama" some retired "mehsud"
this is i think nexus of mullah and military, is it impossible to catch the master minds?
has govt asked any body while bombing BAJAUR'S "POTENTIAL SUICIDE bombers"..
why they are on back foot now in cities especially...?

__________________
Jane kia guzre hai katre pe gohar hone tak

Guidelines for identifying suicide bombers
In the interest of public safety, the Israeli government has issued a set of guidelines to allow the public to spot suicide bombers. The pamphlet called "Only Together Will We Stop the Terror" also contains tips on what to do should you spot a possible bomber.

The list of things to look out for includes:

* Wearing unseasonable warm clothing (i.e. trenchcoats, etc.)
* Protruding bulges under their clothing
* Persons who are sweating, mumbling, or fidgeting
* Persons that are trying to avoid security personnel
* Persons that are young who are trying to fit into crowds that they would not usually belong with

The pamphlet says that if you suspect a person to be a suicide bomber that you should stay calm, contact the police and follow the bomber from a safe distance. The first two ideas I am right with, but following a person who quite possibly has dynamite strapped to their bodies and a desire to use it, does not seem the wisest course of action.
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1354304


Schneier on Security

A blog covering security and security technology.
Recognizing a Suicide Bomber

Fascinating story of an Israeli taxi driver who picked up a suicide bomber. What's interesting to me is how the driver comes to realize his passenger is a suicide bomber. It wasn't anything that comes up on a profile, but a feeling that something is wrong:

Mr Woltinsky said he realised straight away that something was not quite right.

"When he got into my car, I had a bad feeling because he did not behave normally -- his eyes, his nerves -- and the fact he was wearing a big red jacket even though it was hot.

"I asked him where he wanted to go but he didn't say anything, just waved his hand.

"When I asked him again, he said only one word, "Haifa", in an Arab accent. Haifa is hundreds of kilometres away, so now I was almost 100% sure he was a suicide bomber."

In other words, his passanger was acting hinky.
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archive...izing_a_s.html


Using Thermal signature to Identify Suicide Bombers and Terrorists from Afar
Markland Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: MRKL),
a defense and homeland security company transforming advanced laboratory
technology into real-world products, has announced a military-funded program
to develop methods utilizing thermal signature analysis for detecting from a distance
concealed weapons and bombs on the persons of terrorists, suicide bombers and
other individual assailants. Robert Tarini, Chairman and CEO of Markland, made the
announcement.

Markland's research into so-called "stand off" detection and warning systems -
systems that can identify concealed weapons on individual attackers at distances
up to 50 meters - will combine existing thermal sensors with new thermal
signature-processing technology to create tools to help military and police
personnel screen for would-be assailants.

"There are currently no adequate technology solutions available to
homeland security and military personnel that can help them identify a
suicide bomber or terrorist gunman before the attacker can get close enough to
inflict real harm," said Mr. Tarini. "We believe that Markland's research may
represent a leap forward in the creation of systems that can detect these
attackers with a degree of success."

Markland's concealed weapons stand-off systems initiatives are based
on modifications to thermal sensors that are already deployed in large
numbers throughout the military. The new stand-off solutions will augment
the thermal imaging capabilities of these sensors with innovative signal processing
techniques that process different wavelengths of light and heat. This will enable
the systems to help military and law enforcement personnel more quickly
and more easily detect guns or bombs concealed on the persons of
would-be attackers and terrorists.

The stand-off systems will also integrate innovative methods of analyzing
human behavior, including unnatural physical movement and facial biometrics
that are associated with malicious intent, such as thermal signatures, to increase
the ability to identify potential terrorists or other dangerous individuals.

The Army-funded research is being conducted by Markland subsidiary EOIR
Technologies.
http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/20...-identify.html

Operational effectiveness of suicide-bomber-detector schemes:
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/0500567102v1.pdf

Preventing Suicide Bombing
How do you stop a suicide bomber on his way to a target? Until recently, that wasn't an urgent question for scholars in the West. But it is now, and scientists, military strategists and security experts are scrambling, in different directions, to find an answer.
Last year, Darpa, the Pentagon's research arm, convened a panel of experts through the National Research Council to study methods to detect suicide bombers from a distance, before they strike. The panel's report presented some provocative ideas, including "detection by detonation." Under this plan, soldiers at a military checkpoint would fire radiation at each approaching car. If there were no explosives on board, the car would pass through the beam safely. But if the car carried suicide attackers, the radiation would cause their bombs to explode, killing everyone on board (and anyone unlucky enough to be nearby), but leaving the checkpoint unharmed. Another intriguing notion from the report: "distributed biological sensors" - bees, moths, butterflies or rats specially trained to pick up bomb vapors, buzzing or fluttering through a crowd, sniffing for fumes. (The rats, equipped with global-positioning-system chips, would work the sewers.)

Even if you manage to detect a suicide bomber, what do you do next? This question was taken up by Edward H. Kaplan, a professor of public health at Yale, in a paper he published in July, written with Moshe Kress of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. Kaplan and Kress investigated the physics of a belt-bomb blast and reached some unexpected conclusions. It turns out that very few people are killed by the concussive force of a suicide explosion; the deadly weapon is in fact the shrapnel - the ball bearings, nails or pieces of metal that the attacker attaches to the outside of his bomb. The explosions, though, are usually not powerful enough to send these projectiles all the way through a human body, which means that if your view of a suicide bomber is entirely obscured by other people at the moment of detonation, you are much more likely to escape serious injury. Because of the geometry of crowds, Kaplan found, a belt bomb set off in a heavily populated room will actually yield fewer casualties than one set off in a more sparsely populated area; the unlucky few nearest to the bomb will absorb all of its force.

The authors used these calculations to question some assumptions about what authorities should do if they detect a bomber. The International Association of Chiefs of Police issued guidelines this year suggesting that police officers who find a bomber in a crowd should fire shots into the air to cause people near the bomber to scatter or hit the deck. But Kaplan's calculations demonstrate that in many cases, this would make things worse - as a packed crowd ran away from a bomber or dropped to the ground, the circle of potential victims around him would get wider and thus more populous, and more lives could be lost.

As Kaplan points out, these physics create an unusual moral dilemma. If you suddenly find yourself next to a suicide bomber about to set off his charge, there is what he calls "a huge conflict between what's best for you as an individual and what's best for the group." Soon after his paper was published, Kaplan came across one blogger who had read about his research and concluded that the heroic thing to do in that situation would be to approach the bomber and hug him or her, sacrificing yourself but saving the lives of many people behind you.

Not surprisingly, homeland security experts are still looking for other neutralization techniques, ones that don't involve hugging. And here there is another divide in the field. The association of police chiefs recommended this year that police on the scene simply shoot suspected bombers in the head - "specifically, at the tip of the nose when facing the bomber . . .or about one inch below the base of the skull from behind." The London officers who two weeks after the July bombings killed an innocent Brazilian man whom they suspected of being a suicide bomber were operating on similar instructions, a shoot-to-kill policy known as Operation Kratos.

There are other techniques to disarm a bomber, though, that don't involve guns. A company called International Security Defense Systems in Dallas offers antiterrorist advice to airlines and airports and employs several former high-ranking members of the Israeli security services. Chaim Koppel, one of I.S.D.S.'s trainers, explains that it is extremely difficult to shoot someone in the head perfectly, and adds that a shot to the head could in fact set off a suicide bomb. Koppel and his colleagues instead teach an array of moves based on Krav Maga, the self-defense martial art used by Israeli soldiers, that would disarm but not kill a potential bomber. If you're behind a bomber, according to Koppel, the best thing to do is grab him around the shins, lift up and push forward. The bomber will instinctively use his hands to block his fall. Once his hands are away from the trigger of his bomb, you grab them. If you are facing a bomber head-on, you use a different move, one that basically amounts to punching the bomber in the face and grabbing his hands. Violent, but certainly not deadly. And if you get the wrong person, as the London police did, you don't have a corpse on your hands. Instead, as Koppel's colleague Clive Miskin puts it, "you brush his coat off and say you're sorry.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/ma...ection3-8.html

Psychology of Suicide ’Bombers’
Khalid Sohail August 22, 2006

Tags: suicide , terrorist attcks , guerrilla war , terrorism
Who are the people who get involved in “terrorist attacks”?
Why would someone kill innocent civilians?
What kind of personalities and philosophies do such people have?
What kind of political climate produces ‘suicide bombers’?
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In the last few years there has been an increasing discussion and dialogue in the media about those young men from the Muslim world who have been known as ‘suicide bombers’. Since the September 11th , 2001 tragedy and the ‘war on terror’ those young men have been capturing the headlines of the newspapers and becoming a part of the highlights of the news on the radio as well as television.

Being a peace-loving humanist I value life and do not support violent death, whether in the form of suicide or homicide. As a psychotherapist I have been studying the biographical notes and listening to the interviews of the family members of ‘suicide bombers’ to have a better understanding of
their psychology. I am gradually realizing that although each story is unique, yet there are some common themes that emerge. In this short article I will share a few pieces of this mysterious puzzle.

The first piece is the issue of identity. For many ‘suicide bombers’ their religious identity becomes more important than their ethnic, racial or gender identity. Even those young men who live in England or North America, they feel more Muslim than British or North American.

The second piece of the puzzle is the issue of identification. When young Muslims all over the world see the images of the war in Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon, they identify with those Muslims who are tortured and killed. They feel part of the ummah, the Muslim nation. Those Muslims who identify with Muslims from other parts of the world far from their homeland are more prepared to sacrifice their lives for a holy cause.

The third piece of the puzzle is the anger, resentment even hatred against colonial and imperialistic powers in general and America in particular. Many Muslims believe that America’s ‘ war on terror’ is motivated more by holy oil than by the wish to export democracy and freedom. As the ‘war on terror’ escalates, so does the hatred towards America.

The fourth piece of the puzzle is the disillusionment Muslims experience towards their heads of the states. Many Muslims believe that America has been only paying lip service to democracy and directly or indirectly supporting dictators, army generals and monarchs who are puppets of the American government rather than democratically elected representatives of their country.

The fifth piece of the puzzle is personal tragedies that many Muslim families have experienced. The more Palestinian, Iraqi, Afghani and Lebanese families lose their family members the more there is a wave of retaliation. Many young Muslims are contemplating becoming ‘suicide bombers’ to take revenge for their fathers and uncles who were killed or imprisoned in the war on terror. The more unjust the killing or imprisonment, the stronger the sense of revenge.

The sixth piece of the puzzle is the increasing sense of desperation. Some Arabs and Muslims feel so helpless and helpless for themselves and their children, that they not only want to end their own lives but also of others in a violent way. Schopenhauer, the philosopher, once said that when horrors of life outweigh the horrors of death human beings commit suicide.

The seventh piece of the puzzle is the influence of those Muslim leaders who have a charming and cultish personality. They present their ideology in such a persuasive way that those Muslims who are angry and vulnerable join the movement and offer their lives to these charismatic leaders.

It is amazing that the more these factors come together, the more young Arabs and Muslims have a tendency to follow a cultish leader they meet in person or watch on television. Once young men have volunteered their lives for the cause their leaders wait for the right moment to send these dedicated followers on the ‘suicide mission’. They present the experience as an act of sacred martyrdom for which they would be rewarded in heaven. It is significant that those ‘suicide bombers’ do not see themselves committing suicide, which they believe is forbidden in their religion.

In this whole process the political and the personal, the national and the religious factors come together and the person who has been known as a decent, responsible, law-abiding citizen joins the movement and then finds himself on a slippery slope. These charismatic leaders have learnt a lot from the history of guerrilla warriors and use very unconventional methods for which the traditional armies find themselves quite helpless. Some ‘suicide bombers’ might act on their own or in small groups but many of them join a resistive movement or guerrilla war and in their mind justify giving and taking lives for their cause, their ideology, their religion, their God.

When you ask them why do you kill civilians they rationalize by saying that the leaders of Western governments are elected and therefore supported by the masses in their elections so they are indirectly responsible for the atrocities on the Muslim world. Many Muslims believe that America has declared war on the Muslim world preparing for Muslim Holocaust and they need to defend their faith and the Muslim cause and if they die they would be serving a holy cause thus becoming martyrs.

From a psychological point of view a ‘suicide bomber’ symbolizes a contradiction, vulnerable yet strong at the same time. He wants to remain anonymous yet remembered in the history of his community as a hero. He wants to die and yet also live forever. He is the most rational being in planning his attack and yet acts in the most irrational way by being destructive to himself and others.

In the last few decades the number and frequency is significantly increasing. There is a gradual awareness for all those Muslims who believe in armed struggle that they cannot fight the imperialistic and colonial powers of Britain and America by traditional methods. Since they are facing the armies of superpowers they resort to guerrilla war motivated by their nationalistic and religious ideologies.

To understand the psychology of ‘suicide bombers’ we also need to understand the contemporary political climate. America’s attack on Iraq and George W. Bush’s statement that ‘if we you are not with us you are against us’ has raised the violent confrontation to new levels and paved a way for guerrilla war in the Muslim world. There are ever increasing number of Muslims preparing themselves to become ‘suicide bombers’. Those ‘suicide bombers’ are just the tip of the iceberg and a reflection of the sad reality as many Muslims prepare for a protracted war. In the January 26, 2004 issue of Time magazine Romesh Ratnesar and Philip Zambrinski in their article The Rise of the Jihadists reported from Baghdad that they interviewed a guerrilla leader by the name of Khalid who acknowledged that his guerrilla group is conducting “regular attacks against US forces” and he is not disheartened by enormous American military power. He stated that with time his followers were gaining experience. He stated, “ We will have enough weapons to fight for fifty years.”

Many experts are afraid US might relive the horrors, tragedies and humiliations of Vietnam. One Pentagon guerrilla-warfare expert warned the Bush Government “ We are repeating every mistake we made in Vietnam.”

The leaders on both sides George W Bush in the West and Osama bin Laden in the East, have gained tremendous political and religious power and they are ready to sacrifice millions of people in the name of God, religion and politics. When we read the speeches of Osama bin Laden and George Bush, we are struck by a number of similarities. Each believes he is fighting for justice and peace. Each believes the other is a terrorist. Each believes he is on the right path. Both have declared a Holy War, and are willing to kill innocent people. One calls is a crusade, and the other a jihad. Both believe God is on their side.

Whether they are ‘suicide bombers’ of the Muslim world who follow the path of Osama or the soldiers of the Christian world who follow the orders of Bush and Blair, all of them have embraced violence and are willing to kill innocent civilians for their nationalistic and religious ideologies and continue to justify violence as a means to an end.

I strongly feel that nationalistic and religious ideologies have been quite dangerous for humanity and when religion joins politics it becomes more dangerous and lethal. Poor and vulnerable people are hypnotized by the mesmerizing speeches of their political and religious leaders and are willing to sacrifice their lives for a holy cause and in the process take the lives of thousands of innocent civilians.

I am of the opinion that to understand the psychology of the ‘suicide bombers’ we not only have to peep into the psyche of those young men but also have a better understanding of the dynamics of the violent world we live in. Those ‘suicide bombers’ want all of us to think seriously about the unresolved political conflicts of the contemporary world. It is quite possible that if those issues are not addressed by United Nations and international community in a fair and just way, the conflict between the East and the West, Muslim and non-Muslim worlds will continue. There will be ongoing tension and from time to time outpourings of violence from both sides. ‘Suicide bombers’ are just a symbol of those underlying unresolved hostilities and escalating hatred on both sides.

It is so tragic that even in the 21st.century rather than being civilized and enlightened, living with peace, harmony and love and realizing that all of us are members of the same family, the human family, we are still considering members of other religions, sects, tribes, countries and communities as our enemies and then demonizing them to such an extent that we are willing to take their lives with no stab of conscience whether as army officers in the West or as ‘suicide bombers’ in the East. We still do not realize that we are all children of Mother Earth, our enemies are our distant cousins and all human beings are equally sacred. How sad?
http://www.chowk.com/articles/11106

Suicide Terrorism
Suicide bombers have distinctive personality traits.
In 1983, when Shiite Muslims died in suicide attacks on American military barracks in Beirut, psychologists labeled them mentally unstable individuals with death wishes. Today experts agree that the acts of suicide bombers are more attributable to organizational masterminds than to personal psychopathology. Yet they continue to debate just how religion and social reinforcement transform sane human beings into sentient bombs.

Ariel Merari, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Tel Aviv University in Israel, argues that terrorist groups such as Hamas appeal to recruits' religious piety or patriotic sentiments, but neither fanaticism nor nationalism alone are ?necessary or sufficient? to foment suicide terrorism. The key ingredient may be susceptibility to indoctrination. In a recent study of 32 suicide bombers, Merari found no illuminating socioeconomic or personality factors, such as social dysfunction or suicidal symptoms. But almost all the subjects were young, unattached males, a cohort vulnerable to violent organizations in any society.

Attempts to understand suicide terrorism are understandably culture-bound. Western media emphasize a Palestinian society awash in calls to self-destruct: Iraq and Saudi Arabia pay thousands of dollars to the families of suicide terrorists, and schools teach reverence for martyrs alongside arithmetic. Palestinian mental health professionals counter that Westerners ignore the despair inherent in this logic. Mahmud Sehwail, M.D., a psychiatrist in Ramallah, says that post-traumatic stress disorder abounds among the potential ?? and eventual ??s uicide bombers he treats and cites surveys indicating that more than a quarter of all Palestinians are clinically depressed.

But the rationale of despair is a ?double discourse aimed at Western audiences,? according to Scott Atran, Ph.D., an anthropologist at the National Center for Scientific Research in France. ?Muslims are told that these bombers have everything to live for, otherwise the sacrifice doesn't make sense.? Atran's book, In Gods We Trust: The Evolutionary Landscape of Religion, cites a recent study of 900 Muslims in Gaza who were adolescents during the first Palestinian intifada(1987 to 1993). Exposure to violence correlated more strongly with pride and social cohesion than with depression or antisocial behavior. Indeed, the Gaza teens expressed more hope for the future than did a control group of Bosnian Muslims.

Ultimately, profiling suicide bombers may be a fascinating but futile psychological parlor game. Terrorism experts such as Ehud Sprinzak, Ph.D., an Israeli professor of political science, argue that the best way to halt the attacks is not to study suicide bombers themselves, but the terrorists who press these young men and women into their last, ghastly service.
http://psychologytoday.com/articles/...02-000011.html

Suicide Bombers
History has revealed that terrorists are capable of carrying out bold and destructive acts that at first glance appear to be unexplainable. What kind of person would sacrifice his or her own life in order to kill innocent people? What could possibly motivate a young person to become a suicide bomber?

In the wake of many tragic events, it can be difficult to analyze objectively the causes and processes leading up to them. For many, understanding the motives behind suicide bombing comes dangerously close to excusing or approving it. It may seem easier just to assume that the people involved are "evildoers" or "callous fanatics delighting in the carnage they have created." [1] Any extreme measures taken against them will be regarded, not simply as appropriate and justified, but as obligatory. However, terrorism is not a simple phenomenon with easy explanations. Although many people cite "evil" as a prime motivator, there seems to be no single, complete theory about what brings about such behavior. Usually a wide variety of motives and causal factors are involved.

Unsurprisingly, many people have attempted to understand suicide bombing in terms of the abnormality of the individuals responsible. However, if only those with some kind of psychopathology could be terrorists, terrorism would not be the large problem that it is. Research shows no indication that terrorists are crazy or psychopathic or that they lack moral feelings. [2] Most terrorists are not psychologically deviant and do not operate outside the normal rules of behavior, but are instead ordinary people from unremarkable backgrounds. In fact, research indicates that terrorists tend to have considerable insight into their own actions and are aware of how others view them. [3] They believe that their violent actions, while somewhat regrettable, are justified and noble. Moreover, their emotional commitment to their cause and comrades is indicative of normal human psychology. Often their actions do not ultimately stem from hatred, but rather from love of their own group and culture that they believe is threatened and requires protection. [4]

It is important to note at the outset that the use of the term 'suicide' to characterize these attacks reflects an outsider's view. Those who commit or advocate such attacks do not regard them as acts of suicide, but rather as acts of martyrdom. [5] While suicide is associated with hopelessness and depression, the actions of the bombers are seen as a matter of heroism and honor.

Ideology

Many theorists focus on ideology in their attempt to understand what motivates suicide bombers. Randy Borum (2003), for example, focuses on terrorist ideology and the process of how these ideas or doctrines develop. He identifies a four-stage process whereby individuals develop extremist beliefs. A group or individual first identifies some sort of undesirable state of affairs; then frames that event or condition as unjust; then blames the injustice on a target policy, person, or nation; and then vilifies or demonizes the responsible party so that aggression seems justified. [6] Those suffering from adverse conditions do not regard themselves as "bad" or "evil," but only as the victims of injustice. This makes aggression against the "evildoers" who have wronged one's group easier to justify psychologically.

Those who maintain that suicide attacks are motivated by religious ideology suggest that the bombers believe that God has sent them on a mission. They are motivated primarily by the promise of a happy afterlife and heavenly reward and the threat of heavenly retribution Their rationale is that by blowing themselves up in a crowd of people, they are making themselves martyrs and forging their own gateway to heaven. [7] Many of these individuals are indoctrinated at an early age about the spiritual importance of purifying the world and sacrificing their lives to a holy war. In some cases, radical religious groups use the concepts of benevolence, self-sacrifice, and martyrdom to spread the idea that suicide bombing is a noble and Godly act. [8]

Terrorists tend to have an apocalyptic worldview and to see the world as precariously balanced between good and evil. They believe that through their actions, they can uphold their values of family, religion, ethnicity, and nationality and bring about the triumph of the good. Acting on God's behalf to defend these values is viewed as more important than life. For example, Muslim fundamentalists often fear that their religious values and culture are in danger of being overwhelmed by the secularism and military and economic power of the West. [9] Some may view terrorism as a way to defend against these "evils."

Others argue that religious fervor only partly explains the actions of suicide bombers and that religious ideology and political aspirations tend to become intertwined. It is not that suicide bombers simply exhibit an unquestioning obedience to extreme leadership or that they are pressured to carry out such acts. Rather, it is in reaction to perceived political oppression and the belief that one's rights have been trampled. For example, because life under military occupation is experienced as humiliating, many believe they will find a better life in paradise. Many theorists writing about the Palestinian suicide bombers argue that "the suicide bomber, unable to develop and express his individuality under occupation and unable to serve his society in constructive ways, turns to a goal beyond this world." [10] In short, he comes to believe that he has a religious duty to struggle against the group's enemies and achieve its political goals in the name of God. Suicide is viewed as a tax paid to redress the group's grievances and achieve both its religious and political objectives.

Within particular cultures, martyrdom is also viewed as a status symbol. Those who participate are regarded as heroes who are sure to experience a happy after life. The cultural message is that sacrificing one's own life to kill others is not only acceptable, but highly desirable. An entire cultural structure consisting of family, friends, teachers, religious institutions, and political establishment may share this belief. [11] For young people struggling to find some significance to their bleak existence, the meaning of suicide bombing is perfectly clear. They will be heroes, they will help the cause of their group, and they will be awarded in the afterlife.

Socialization

Other theorists stress the idea that becoming a terrorist or suicide bomber is largely a matter of socialization. In some cases, those personally frustrated by their life circumstances may become angry with those they view as the source of their problems. According to Jessica Stern (2003), terrorists are often individuals who feel deeply humiliated and confused about their future path, or are frustrated about the political climate in which they live. [12] Humiliation, poverty, and hopelessness often gives rise to a sense of outrage and desperation, which can be harnessed by extremist leaders to create support for a terrorist movement. For individuals who feel deeply alienated or desperate, martyrdom provides the ultimate escape from life's dilemmas.

In other cases, individuals become angry about the frustrations and insults experienced by their ethnic, cultural, or religious group, though they do not experience this insult at a personal level. This makes sense of the fact that many terrorists are middle-class individuals who have fairly wide options and some degree of educational background. Their strong group identification and anger over group insult helps to explain their willingness to sacrifice their own lives.

Those who feel frustrated and angry may join terrorist organizations, which provide a variety of emotional, social, and economic benefits. Individuals who have a sense of uncertainty about their future may find that terrorist groups provide the sense of identity, structure, and guidance that they crave. Identification with the cause and other group members may satisfy individuals' needs for meaning and justice and afford them an opportunity to bolster their self-esteem. [13]

Belonging to a militant group may also satisfy desires for adventure, "glamour," and social connections. Once they join the group, individuals may feel strong and powerful and believe they have a clearer purpose in life. Many terrorist organizations also offer economic incentives to persuade individuals that it is rational to sacrifice their lives for the good of the cause. [14] For those who believe they lack options, cannot find a job, and have few social safety nets in place to assist them, suicide bombing may seem like a relatively reasonable option. Families of suicide bombers often receive money and are treated as heroes.

Once individuals join organizations that share their frustrations, they may undergo a process of indoctrination whereby their beliefs and behaviors are made to conform the group's basic principles. [15] Within these tight-knit communities, individuals' fear of letting down their comrades becomes greater than their fear of dying. Many come to believe that by sacrificing their own lives for the sake of the cause, those lives can take on a broader meaning.

Grievances

Various grievances and social stressors can contribute to the formation of terrorist groups. For example, poverty, unemployment, epidemics, and criminality often lead to social instability, which provides fertile ground for terrorist activity. Over-population, socioeconomic struggle, and a lack of professional opportunities can also produce a sense of rage, powerlessness, and resentment among the populace.

Disaffected individuals and/or groups may perceive the world as treating them harshly and unjustly. In some cases, there are indeed genuine causes for grievance and a sense of group persecution. The move from being a disaffected individual to a violent extremist is usually facilitated by some catalyst event. [16] In most cases it is an act of extreme violence committed against the individual, family or friends by those in authority or by some rival group. Research findings indicate that most suicide bombers have had at least one of their loved ones killed or severely harmed at the hands of their enemies. Many of them join terrorist groups in an angry and vengeful state of mind with the intent to take part in aggressive acts. They are rarely coerced into it.

In fact, many suicide bombers may view themselves as soldiers engaged in a war. Casualties are then seen as the regrettable but inevitable consequence of fighting for one's just cause. It is not that they are bloodthirsty or that they enjoy killing civilians, but rather that they believe these missions are the only way to fight for their cause. Although the realization that terrorists view themselves as soldiers engaged in a just war does not legitimize their cause or methods, it does provide some insight into their psychology and motivation. It suggests that their psychology is similar to that displayed by combatants in other conflicts, and that suicide bombers view themselves as soldiers or warriors reacting to the provocative abuses and injustices of others. [17] According to this line of thinking, suicide bombing is a matter of fighting back against unjust political or economic policies, authoritarian governments, and structural violence.

Some argue that the global economic order contributes to groups' sense that they have been wronged. Michael Stevens (2002), for example, argues that globalization contributes to the creation of sociocultural and psychosocial conditions from which terrorism is more likely to emerge. [18] The West has exported its economic, political, and cultural systems with little regard as to how they might be received. While globalization has no doubt generated wealth, it has also produced economic inequality, threats to language and community, and support for oppressive regimes. Many believe that it has also contributed to the uprooting of traditional values and customs. These unanticipated costs may continue to generate hostility among those harmed, humiliated, or left behind by the new world order.
http://www.beyondintractability.org/...icide_bombers/

ICT - International Institute for Counter-Terrorism
Spotlight
THE CRISIS OF PAKISTAN: A DANGEROUSLY WEAK STATE
Countering Suicide Terrorism
http://www.ict.org.il/aecommerce/c1410/8385.php
http://www.ict.org.il/