My2c Worth

Simply a highly opinionated Aussie's outlet. Politics, environment, cars, motorcycles, stuff and things.

"Easily the second-greatest political thinker in his household." - anonymous

"...look, this is the sort of thing that all of us feel squeamish about..." - Tony Abbott, General Bastard nee Federal Health Minister

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Suicide Bombers: How do they get to that point?

No doubt, we all know what happened in Bali recently. More suicide bombers. Young men (primarily) who know they have explosives in their bags and aim to detonate it, with no plan to survive the attack.

How does one get to that point? How does one get to the point where that is an acceptable way to hit the perceived enemy?

I'm going to draw a local parallel. Give it a chance.

Our own history has Gallipoli. A landing site in WW1 where ANZACs were mowed down by Turkish gunners as they stormed the Turkish trenches.
Rows upon rows of young, healthy men were sent over the breach with the barest, slimmest chance of getting to the enemy's trench, let alone overrunning it.
Most of them must have known they were going to their certain deaths. Most saw what had happened to the previous row of soldiers, yet they still went.
The orders came from above, ultimately from the British who treated the ANZACs with a little less concern than our own. However, there was a chain of people in between, down to those who ordered the men over.

Why? Would we have done the same in their stead? Did many refuse? I don't know.

I assume the soldiers thought what they were doing was right, part of their duty in the greater fight.

Don't get me wrong. I do not in any way, shape or form equate the people who commited this act of terrorism with the ANZACs.
I hope I'm drawing a parallel in the mindset of those who could do such a thing to themselves.

How do the Bali bombers get to the same point? How do you reach out to the bombers themselves, and the ones who instruct them to commit such an act beforehand?

Personally, irrespective of who does it, religion is strongly involved. Religion, in its various forms, has been able to give some degree of comfort to us all in times of need, uncertainty and sacrifice. War is no exception.
Clearly, religion is being abused in the case of suicide bombers by giving the bombers a justification for the act, and a comfort that they will be heaven/paradise/etc sent when it's over and being one with their God.

=my2c

BC

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