Suicide bombers have existed for centuries. Their motives during war can almost be understood as similar to other warriors who sacrifice themselves for their country or personal beliefs. It is a military tactic excused by religious belief, and promoted through societal values and traditions. It evolves through centuries of traditional values, teachings, and positive reinforcement strategies designed to breed future generations of those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

By understanding the psychology that motivates suicide bombers, criminal profilers are better able to recognize and potentially understand this extremist movement. Then, if understood, the more complicated question remains as to what to do about it.

Overview

Suicide bombers are motivated and systematically conditioned through societal upbringing, including:

• governmental support;
• encouragement and enforcement of religious beliefs;
• societal approval for courageous deeds by recognizing suicide bombers as heroes; and,
• a basic belief system that the self is less important than the interests or needs of the country or society.

Throughout generations, parents, friends, relatives, religious leaders, and governmental leaders have promoted a religious ideology that supports and promotes bombings as a legitimate individual and governmental defense system. It is this ideology that criminal profilers confront when seeking solutions to resolve a generational system that permeates beyond borders.

Motive

Through individual sacrifice suicide bombers believe their death will immediately enter them into Paradise. The suicide bomber is captivated by the idea of the martyr. They seek religious salvation through religious martyrdom. They are willing to die for their beliefs and believe that their courage will be rewarded in Heaven. Martyrdom provides individual purpose encouraged by societal rewards with recognition, awards, and monetary incentive for relatives and friends. Honor and honorable mention whether on earth or in heaven encourage the suicide bomber who is rewarded with his portrait placed in a shrine or his name mentioned during a religious ceremony.

This attitude breeds in a society that considers the individual as less important than the needs of the country or society. We learn what we are taught.

One of the more prevailing reasons that motives suicide bombers is the honor and admiration they receive following commission of the suicide mission and their death. It is considered a religious obligation to honor and admire the family of a shahid. Families of shuhada receive substantial financial rewards, mainly from Gulf countries and especially from Saudi Arabia, but also from a special fund created by Saddam Hussein.

Another frequently mentioned motivation is “battling Israel,” according to Avishai Margalit, author of The Suicide Bombers. Battling Israel “is one of the most urgent tasks of the defensive jihad.” It is considered a duty that should be undertaken by any Muslim, man or woman, and it overrides any other obligation. The idea of defensive jihad can easily be understood as carrying out the national goal of “freeing the land” from the presence of the invaders,” explain Margalit.

The motives of suicide bombers has been questioned and researched in attempts to understand what most of us consider incomprehensible. What is particularly confusing is the religious connotation combined with a willingness to end one’s life so quickly in search of an unknown afterlife. This seems to be a conscious contradiction to the purpose of religion and religious life.

Conclusion

In summary, suicide bombers are motivated and systematically conditioned as a result of societal upbringing, including: religious beliefs; governmental support; encouragement and enforcement of religious beliefs; societal approval for courageous deeds by recognizing bombers as heroes; and, a basic belief system that the self is less important than the interests or needs of the country or society.

Throughout generations, parents, friends, relatives, religious leaders, and governmental leaders have promoted a religious ideology that supports and promotes suicide bombings as a legitimate individual and governmental defense system.

We learn what we are taught and believe what we learn.