The Use of Women Suicide Bombers - Essay Example

Running Head: USE OF WOMEN SUICIDE BOMBERS The Use of Women Suicide Bombers Institute The Use of Women Suicide Bombers Determine what the Quran has to say about suicide and use those results to evaluate the use of women suicide bombers. Islam is the religion of freedom, goodwill and humanity. God Almighty has bestowed upon us endless bounties and blessings, of which life is the most precious and valuable. The value and worth of a human life are priceless. The life endowed upon us by God Almighty, is in form of a favor (Said Nursi, 2005), and the only way we could repay is by worshiping God, with every move we make and every breath we take. In one verse of the Koran, Allah says, “How can you disbelieve? Seeing that you were dead, and He gave you life. Then He will give you death, and then again, will bring you to life (on the Day of Resurrection) and then unto Him; you will return" (Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 28) (Muhammad, n.d.). This gift of life is to cherish not to be thrown away as Islam strictly forbids suicide and killing of innocent people. We must dedicate our lives to please Allah, and to also be kind and generous to our fellow human beings, rather than hurting a single soul, including ours. Human kind is created to revive and perpetuate life and preserve it in its best form. In one verse of the Koran Allah informs mankind, "And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship; Me (Alone)" (Surah Adh-Dhariyat Verse 56)  (Adedimeji, 2011). From this verse, it is evident that the purpose of our life is to worship God, and to live and let live. It is emphasized plenty of times in the Holy Koran, Ahadeeth (Traditions, teachings and Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the Shariah (Islamic Law and Muslim way of living), that by transgressing the righteous path and the limits and boundaries set by God. Such kind of willful disobedience will only bring about displeasure and wrath of God. These people will have to face the deadliest of punishments predestined for those who go astray and misled by the evil forces. These forces only believe in destruction, which is surely against the teachings and beliefs of Islam, which is a religion of Peace and Prosperity, not blood-shed and deadly war. There are a few very specific punishments expressed in the Koran against self-destruction. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) also assigns suicide to the lower most levels of Hell. Allah says explicitly in the Koran, "And do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you" (Surah An-Nisa Verse 29) (Abdul-Rahman, 2009). In another verse of the Quraan, Allah says: "And do not throw yourselves into destruction" (Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 195) (Kotob, n.d.). The use of women for the purposes of self-sacrifice is new to the war-zone, but its percentage is increasing by the minute. In Israel in March 2002 (Zedalis, 2004), when an 18-year-old woman killed innocent people, a professor feared that this will be the start of an endless journey of deadly destruction, involving even younger and more vulnerable female suicide attackers. The most shocking and potentially dangerous aspect was that, these women suicide bombers have the clergy’s approval for their fatal acts. They were convinced that what they were doing was to protect their oppressed Muslim brethren, and to get their land free of idol worshippers. There was a rapid growth in the Chechen female suicide bombers, indicating the rise of “secular terrorism” It was another strategy formulated by the so-called Fundamentalist Islamic, and aggressive groups dedicated to Jihad (War against infidels) in order to carry out suicide attacks with ease. The militant religious, jihadist leaders used a psychological strategy to befool the impressionable teenage females, by convincing them that they will be rewarded by God as they will not be dead, they will embrace martyrdom. Through this wrongful and false claim, they polluted the minds of many young females and got them to kill themselves along with many innocent people. Hence, there was a rapid rise in suicide attacks carried out by females. Islam strongly detests suicide and genocide, as the Koran and the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) also strictly forbade suicide and decreed, “He who drinks poison and kills himself will carry his poison in his hand and drink it in hell forever and ever” (Zedalis, 2004); it shows how deeply Islam condemns suicide and self-killing. In these days, the word “Istishaad” (giving one’s life to attain martyrdom) has been used by the preachers of suicide attacks instead of the word “Intihar” (Committing suicide) (Atunbulak & Sarica, 2007); while the truth is that Islam has strong sanctions against suicide and self-killing. Religious incentives and eternal rewards are promised to potential suicide attackers, which is easier than a secular approach to convince them to give up their lives as it is linked with other-worldly benefits. The militant leaders use specific verses from the Koran regarding death as a martyr and rewards of a better after life, to motivate the suicide attackers and beguile them to kill themselves and others. The attackers prepare themselves for a brutal death, believing that God will reward them for their bravery and faithfulness towards Islam. They gladly accept a death-deal thinking that they will be entitled to heavenly, eternal and ethereal treasures and hope to win salvation hereafter. These are the techniques used by “Al-Qaida” (The base), one of the most prominent groups linked with suicide killings (Atunbulak & Sarica, 2007). Suicide, Path to Paradise OR Highway to Hell: Attempted suicide has to do with a lot of physical and physiological factors. Mostly, in war struck countries such as Palestine, or more recently in Pakistan, women who are either oppressed or have a violent past, are more likely to turn into suicide bombers. Suicide in case of females; their usage as weapons of mass and self-destruction, calls for plenty of different opinions. Some Palestinians argue that the first duty of a Muslim woman is to look after her house, family and children and then comes her duty as a Muslim to fight and support the noble cause of Jihad (Marranci, 2006). Most Palestinian men believe that female suicide attackers and their actions are entirely un-Islamic, and they need guidance, at the same time Palestinian born women admired their courage and bravery. Non-Palestinian women; have different point of views. Some have termed them as controversial and disturbing. Some of the Pakistani women regard them as great Islamic Heroines, who perform their religious duties sometimes more passionately than men (Marranci, 2006). History is a witness to the zeal and integrity of women kind, who gave up their lives for the honor of their faith and virtues and upheld the religion of Islam. Islamic history showcases that there were times when the survival of the Muslim faith was in danger. The Muslim men feared for their lives leaving the Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) alone and without support. At that time, women such as Summaya and Nasibah (Marranci, 200), not only offered their own lives, but encouraged their sons to give up their lives by the name of Islam and become martyrs.  The sisters and daughters of Ashab (companions of the Prophet P.B.U.H) fought diligently and fearlessly alongside their men during rough and difficult times to protect their faith earning themselves the title of Mujahidas (Female fighters). Today the wounded women in Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq and Pakistan recall those brave and courageous women and the feats; they performed to revive their faith. However, these iron women have to give up their household duties and their feminine fragility as Jihad knows no gender, and it is everybody’s right to fight for what is right (Marranci, 200). The subtle and complex concept of Jihad is often misused and misinterpreted.  The core of its existence is not what is being portrayed by militant leaders of so called Islamic fundamentalist groups and advocates of secularism. The term “Holy-War” is modified and wrongfully used to justify brutal and selfish acts of terrorism. The event of 911 and its back-lash has incited hatred and controversy regarding Muslim values in the West. The very meaning of Jihad and its nobility has been destabilized at the hands of evil doers and terror driven mafia. The use of women for self-sacrifice entails a lot of reasons and factors. Women are fragile hence; they are easily manipulated and are mostly dependent for their survival on their men. Their ideologies are smoothly molded, and their actions could be contrived. Although, it is also true that they have more will power and emotional strength than men. However, their lives mainly are a tale of self-sacrifice and doing things to please others. The religious and fundamentalist groups, in order to grind their own axes use mostly battered, emotionally damaged and grief-stricken women who are easier to manipulate. These women blow themselves up, also exploding others in the false promise of avenging their enemies and winning God’s approval. It happens mostly in the regions where women do not receive even the basic education and are morally and religiously deprived. If these women are enlightened with the true principles and teachings of Islam, then their plight is sure to change as they will have the wisdom to know the difference between right and wrong, and vice from virtue. However, in some cases, women are not merely the victims of exploitation and violence. They willingly and actively participate to perpetuate acts of terrorism, considering them as noble deeds. The percentage is small but exists; it was a woman who assassinated India’s Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 (Bokhari, 2007).  In some cases, women do not take part in terrorist activities directly, but their sons or husbands do, and they carry out duties of nurturing and supporting them through thick and thin and become their strong alibis. These women induce these specific militant values and norms of violence and radicalism and pass them onto their off-springs and provide base for a whole new and young generation of militants and terrorists. While carrying their traditional duties as sisters, mothers and daughters, they also serve the purpose of being the torch bearers and diligently pass on the moral and self identified religious values and cultural norms, including militancy and self-sacrifice (Bokhari, 2007); which is clearly a conscious decision on their part. In 2002, when Chechen terrorists took 700 hostages (Bokhari, 2007) in a Moscow theatre, 18 of the kidnappers were women. In more recent past, militant groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad have altered their policies to adopt a more “liberal” approach by recruiting more and more women for terrorist activities (Bokhari, 2007). Conclusion: In the midst of the 21st century, suicide attacks carried out by females has become a major weapon of choice for propagating globalized terror.  The global terror networks nowadays operate more effectively by recruiting and training female suicide bombers, as they look more fragile and vulnerable, a trait which is highly deceiving and assures successful execution of such attacks. It is hard to believe that these frail looking, petite young women, are actually capable of carrying out such a massive level of mass destruction, that too by sacrificing themselves. The militants and terrorist organizations need to use females as pawns to propagate their evil doings as due to excessive scrutiny and security clearance systems, the government puts enormous pressure upon these organizations (Bokhari, 2007). They desperately need to come up with new and innovative strategies to beguile the government agencies and their networks in order to gain a competitive edge over them. Islam is a religion that preaches peace and humanity, and it will never allow such an outrage, anyone who has even the basic knowledge of Islamic beliefs and principles, is aware of the fact that self-loathing and self-killing are strictly forbidden in Islam. God Almighty and the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH); assigned strong sanctions and punishments for those who kill themselves and take other people’s lives. It is a shameful and hideous act, that will indeed bring them eternal misfortune, humiliation and disgrace. References Zedalis, D. D. (2004). Female suicide bombers. Strategic Studies Institute. Abdul-Rahman, M. S. (2009). The meaning and explanation of the glorious quran (vol 2) 2nd edition. MSA Publication Limited. Kotob, I. (n.d.). bukharitext. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=M6B2UnP-C8gC&pg=PT1152&lpg=PT1152&dq="And do not throw yourselves in destruction".&source=bl&ots=Zmxi7AhtIB&sig=oZuknoJUZdQbkgolZQ1KBrCW5LA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6mcQUKvcKIjsrAfY7oDwCw&redir_esc=y Muhammad, I. (n.d.). The day of resurrection. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=WI0mQslXV-EC&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=“How can you disbelieve? Seeing that you were dead and He gave you life. Then He will give you death, then again will bring you to life (on the Day of Resurrection) and then unto Him you&source=bl&ots=HcmMk_3z_l&sig=409HhBhMwNGWvZ9-HcHw5sZ39JQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GWkQUK6qMsvirAfFs4HoAQ Adedimeji, M. (2011). The webs of shaitan: The way out. Xlibris Corporation. Said Nursi, B. (2005). The words: The reconstruction of islamic belief and thought. Tughra Books. Atunbulak, N., & Sarica, H. (2007). Suicide as a weapon. IOS Press. Marranci, G. (2006). Jihad beyond islam. Berg. Bokhari, L. (2007). Suicide as a weapon. IOS Press. Read More