Sacrifice, gift and the social logic of muslim ‘human bombers’

The Institutional Logic of Religious Nationalism: Sex, Violence and the Ends of History

“…Religion provides theological language and rite -of sacrifice and martyrdom -for a meaningful death not only to counter that of patriotism and citizenship, but to outdo them. 122 To forge a modern nation, the state depends on an abstract space, upon the bland fact of residence, mere location, to build a universal citizen transcending other group loyalties. This anybody depends on any place.…”

Why does Religion Turn Violent?: A Psychoanalytic Exploration of Religious Terrorism

“…In reference to this theme of sanctification by self-sacrifice, Strenski (2003) writes that "The 'human bombers' are regarded as 'sacred' by their communities of reference. They have been 'made holy' in the eyes of the community that 'accepts' them and their deed.…”

“…This is istishad (martyrdom or self-sacrifice in the service of Allah)" (Post et al, 2003, p. 179). It must be noted that this understanding of martyrdom and self-sacrifice is not traditional in Islam, and it has been condemned by many leading Muslim clerics and scholars around the world (for references see Strenski, 2003;Davis, 2003). Rather, it represents a major theological innovation on the part of the radical Islamicists like bin Laden.…”

“…Since the human bombers and the members of Aum Shinrikyo are offering a religious sacrifice, Strenski (2003) argues, their actions are not primarily motivated by "a utilitarian or pragmatic calculus" (p. 26). One important and perhaps unhappy practical conclusion of this situation is that it is mistake to seek to understand religiously motivated terrorists using the game theoretic or rational choice models so prominent in the social sciences these days (for relevant reviews, see Victoroff, 2005, as well as Moghaddam & Marsella, 2004).…”

“…While I regard them as terrorists, and as hard as it is for me personally, I feel that stance should not dominate a scholarly text. I will follow the convention of Raphael Israeli (quoted in Strenski, 2003) and refer to them most frequently as "human bombers." 2.…”