Category: Suicide Bombers

Cult psychology may help explain why young men become suicide murderers. Zealots who tend to violence are meant to be easy to spot. That is why the identities of the alleged London bombers are so arresting. All were British born and raised. Most were well educated, showing no signs of religious fervour. Only one appears to have been remotely socially dysfunctional. For those who believe in the stereotyped terrorist as either rabidly fanatical or desperate, illiterate, and oppressed, this superficial normality is mystifying. It is therefore dangerous to reduce this kind of terrorism to an inherent consequence of Islamist extremism.

Te recent wave of suicide bombings in Iraq and Israel has refocused attention on the question of what motivates terrorists. Is it politics or religion, or a mix of both? Terrorism expert Jessica Stern has examined the use of religion as a rallying cry for violence in her latest book on the subject, entitled “Terror in the Name of God, Why Religious Militants Kill.” Most of Jessica Stern’s book looks at Islamic extremist groups like al-Qaida and Hamas and what drives them – but she also includes chapters on American Christian cults and Jewish militants. “To begin with, it is