Suicide, Terrorism, and the Looming Tower

As I wrote in an earlier article, I have been working my way through The Looming Tower for the second time.  In my first post, we learned about how Islamic extremists had found a way around the Koran’s forbidding of killing innocents (and other Muslims).  This time, we will examine how the same clever theological tricks were used to justify committing suicide (which is a taboo in Islam and Christianity).

The Koran states (Hadith – Bukhari 7:670):

“Whoever purposely throws himself from a mountain and kills himself, will be in the (Hell) Fire falling down into it and abiding therein perpetually forever; and whoever drinks poison and kills himself with it, he will be carrying his poison in his hand and drinking it in the (Hell) Fire wherein he will abide eternally forever; and whoever kills himself with an iron weapon, will be carrying that weapon in his hand and stabbing his abdomen with it in the (Hell) Fire wherein he will abide eternally forever.”

Now if you are a jihad supervisor trying to convince your young charges to commit suicide this would seem to be a pretty big hurdle to overcome, wouldn’t it?  A little sophistry, however, and it all resolves itself rather nicely:

It seems as though there were a group of Muslims who were captured by non-Muslims (apostates, idolaters, etc…) and they were told if they did not renounce Islam that they would be killed.  Being pious, they all declined and were quickly dispatched.  Thus it was pronounced that they had made a “suicidal choice” and, presto, suicide would not result in burning in hell forever.

Isn’t it great how a religious text, irregardless of its belief system, can be interpretted anyway a person wants so long as it fits their temporal needs?

From this point on, suicide bombers became a growth industry!

Too fine of a point cannot be put on this presto-chango moment for the entire history of politics is based upon this type of justification no matter what the beliefs are.

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