The Ethics of Self-Sacrifice: What's Wrong with Suicide Bombing?

What's wrong with suicide bombing? The tactic has been used by the Tamil Tigers, by the Japanese kamikaze, by al-Qaeda, by Palestinian militants against Israel, by Iraqi defenders loyal to Saddam Hussein against the U.S. invasion, and by others; it is typically understood by these groups as mar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of suicide research 2004-01, Vol.8 (1), p.29-36
Main Author: Battin, Margaret P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Altruism
death
equality
Ethics
heroism
Holy war
Israel
jihad
martyrdom
Palestine
Palestinian Authority
self-sacrifice
Social problems
Sociology
Suicide
suicide bombing
Terrorism
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Summary:What's wrong with suicide bombing? The tactic has been used by the Tamil Tigers, by the Japanese kamikaze, by al-Qaeda, by Palestinian militants against Israel, by Iraqi defenders loyal to Saddam Hussein against the U.S. invasion, and by others; it is typically understood by these groups as martyrdom rather than suicide. Scientific theories of suicide-biological, psychological, and sociological-do not contribute to an understanding. Nor is the claim that it is amoral, the product of psychopathology or mental illness, adequate. The central moral core of the issue of suicide bombing rests, rather, on the violation of a tacit assumption of equality in combat: "they" have a weapon "we" don't.
ISSN:1381-1118
1543-6136
DOI:10.1080/13811110490243750