FULL SPECTRUM CULTURE

The London Times Online publishes a profile and interview of a failed suicide bomber from Palestine. I was going to call this post “Portrait of a Damned Fool,” but the person in question is still alive yet, so that adjective is as yet still in doubt. Here are a couple of choice passages:

I was told that to be accepted for a suicide mission the volunteers had to be convinced of the religious legitimacy of the acts they were contemplating, as sanctioned by the divinely revealed religion of Islam. Many of these young men had memorised large sections of the Koran and were well versed in the finer points of Islamic law and practice. But their knowledge of Christianity was rooted in the medieval crusades, and they regarded Judaism and Zionism as synonymous.

They don’t even have a chance to hear another point of view. Their “authorities” make sure that their view of Christianity is 1000 years out of date. But then, “how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” I could go to a book store down the street and purchase a Koran any day I wanted to. But when the imams and mullahs run a town, forget about finding a Bible anywhere. They are more dangerous than a suicide belt.

None of the suicide bombers — they ranged in age from 18 to 38 — conformed to the typical profile of the suicidal personality. None of them was uneducated, desperately poor, simple-minded, or depressed. Many were middle-class and held paying jobs. Two were the sons of millionaires. They all seemed entirely normal members of their families. They were polite and serious, and in their communities were considered to be model youths. Most were bearded. All were deeply religious.

This completely debunks once again that terrorism is caused by poverty, for anyone who has eyes to see. Terrorism is caused by the darkness of a fallen human soul.

They were not inclined to argue but they were happy to discuss, far into the night, the issues and the purpose of their activities. One condition of the interviews was that, in our discussions, I not refer to their deeds as “suicide”, which is forbidden in Islam. Their preferred term is “sacred explosions”. One member of al-Qassam said: “We do not have tanks or rockets, but we have something superior — our exploding Islamic bombs.”

They admit that even their twisted religion forbids what they do. Yet they still do it. This is not faith, this is perfidy.

As today’s weapons of mass destruction go, the human bomb is cheap. A Palestinian security official pointed out that, apart from a willing young man, all that is needed are such items as nails, gunpowder, a battery, a light switch and a short cable, mercury (readily obtainable from thermometers), acetone, and the cost of tailoring a belt wide enough to hold six or eight pockets of explosives. The most expensive item is transportation to a distant Israeli town. The total cost of a typical operation is about US $150 (£85). The sponsoring organisation usually gives between $3,000-$5,000 (£1,700- £2,830) to the bomber’s family.

Death is cheap. Fear is cheap. But there is nothing cheaper to the dealers of deception than the life of a poor soul who buys what they are selling.

A member of Hamas explained the preparation: “We focus his attention on Paradise, on being in the presence of Allah, on meeting the Prophet Muhammad, on interceding for his loved ones so that they, too, can be saved from the agonies of Hell, on the houris, and on fighting the Israeli occupation and removing it from the Islamic trust that is Palestine.”

Poor Suckers. The ones who go through with it have a nasty surprise waiting. Read the whole thing. It may open your eyes to what those who believe that life and liberty are things to be preserved are up against.