Final: Module 8 Flashcards
Key shift in martyrdom
began killing other people in the process
Martyrdom in Afghanistan
In traditional Afghan culture, courage is valued – those who are courageous are remembered and celebrated
What caused the rise in suicide attacks in Afghanistan in the 1980s?
secular, educated Afghan students are drawn to suicide attacks to combat the Soviet Union in Afghanistan
*suicide attacks made it possible for individuals to stand out
*the Soviet Union was trying to support the newly established communist regime
-national uprising against foreign invasion turns into a religiously motivated war
What are the five key transformations in self-sacrifice?
- From local to global
- Taking the fight to the enemy’s homeland
- Martydrom seeking – ‘special forces’ ready for self-sacrifice
- Switched from publishing books/mags (e.g. Abdallah Azzam) to using Western tech against itself (TV, broadcasts, internet)
- Increased crisis of authority led to increased brutality
Explain the debate over martyrdom
Some say you must know the intention of the person to know if it’s martyrdom
A group of younger, more radical scholars say it’s when you’re engaged in asymmetrical warfare as a form of self-defense
Who was mainly involved in suicide attacks in Afghanistan?
Men who had a secular university education and a religious motivation
How did the Soviet War in Afghanistan change the nature of sacrifice?
Soviets introduced modern warfare that caused mass casualties - made it difficult to know who is a hero and who died by accident - self-sacrifice became a way to distinguish
Explain the terror during the Soviet-Afghan war. Top-down or bottom-up?
Top-down state use of terror for political reasons - those who were part of the opposing political party were arrested and killed
Who was at the top of the hierarchy of martyrdom?
Students who were handing out leaflets in opposition to the regime were among the first to be arrested an killed - viewed as martyrs
*their stories were spread throughout magazines
How was Abdallah Azzam important for the changes in self-sacrifice?
He declared that participation in jihad was essential for all Muslims and began to recruit Arabs to come to Afghanistan – made it transnational
*gave young men a romanticized version of jihad
*he wrote many hagiographies about martyrdom that were translated and spread throughout the Arab world
*wanted religion to re-enter the public sphere
Explain the crisis of authority
Who has the duty to wage jihad and under what conditions?
What are three ways in which Osama bin Laden changed suicide attacks?
- Through his own poetry, he invoked values in pre-Islamic poetry such as ideals of honor
- Expansion of territory where jihad could take place - abroad
- Changed the nature of recruitment by making personal visits around the world and utilizing technology to recruit and amplify the impact of violence
Mark Juergensmeyer - Religion in the New Global War
Argues that terrorist attacks are a symbolic statement about an imagined war between secularism and religion and are meant to demonstrate the reality of war to an unknowing public and announce the power of the terrorist group
David Edwards - Sacrifice and Suicide Bombing
-Although martyrdom is not a new concept, it became politicized during the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan especially due to Azzam and bin Laden
-there is not only an exchange with God but an exchange of honor
Explain the turning point in 2006
the number of suicide attacks dramatically increases, indicating that the taboo of suicide in Islam is broken
*many orphaned, educated young men from Pakistan volunteer
