Murderer or Martyr

HILLARY
So I saw the movie The Kingdom, which deals with a fictionalized suicide bomb squad. The movie is good, but what it really did was get me thinking about how these believers/"martyrs" could make better use of their deaths. It got me thinking about the monks who burned themselves alive to protest the war in Vietnam. Those who campaigned against the building of modern prisons in Turkey by going on a group hunger strike — some of whom died in the process. These sound more like martyrs to me, in that they aren’t taking any other lives with them. So I wonder if these Islamic suicides would have more of an impact on their society if they weren’t taking anyone with them?

JACK
You are referring to an entire cultural clash with society, which never justifies self-destruction. The first monks to emolliate themselves were in fact not protesting the war, but were using it as a means to bring attention to the problems that preceded the war. But there are martyrs that have appeared in all societies, throughout history. I can relate to my personal experience, which came with the Kamikazes during WWII. I was part of the 20th Air Force that bombed Japan, and towards the end of the war the responsive military strategy was to create these small flying bombs that we now know as Kamikazes. As an American who loves life, it scared the hell out of me that I had to face an opponent whose sole purpose was to die in the process of blowing up my plane. Just last year, my wife and I visited the launching pad in Japan, and we saw a reconstructed Kamikaze plane, and the shrine that was set up for the Kamikaze pilots the night before they attacked. It was an eerie sensation for me because I had been in aerial combats in that spot 60 years earlier. I guess my principle conclusion, after this long history, is that blowing up innocent people and killing yourself in the process has no excuse in a civilized world.

HILLARY
I agree with you, and this is the point. Whether the monks burned themselves in protest, or to bring attention to their country’s plight, they made a statement and were themselves truly martyrs, in that they didn’t hurt anyone else in the process. If your kamikaze pilots were taking their planes and dive-bombing into empty fields, I think people might start asking why? I know that when I heard about the hunger strikes in Turkey, I became quite interested their cause. I doubt I would have been inclined to become educated on the matter if instead they were taking hostages or some other type of outward violence. So I believe the question still remains, do you think that someone who kills himself or herself for a cause, without harming others, would have an effect on you? If done in great enough numbers, I assume.

JACK
I deplore fanaticism in any shape. The object of war is to kill the enemy; therefore the suicide bomber who is killing the enemy is performing that major function in addition to calling attention to his belief.

HILLARY
But that person has now taken others lives, and is therefore culpable or at least open to more criticism. Someone who takes there own life, but not others, in a political protest or statement, cannot be judged for harming others.

JACK
We’re talking about two separate things, but once again I deplore both of them. One is if you’re killing yourself in order to kill an enemy. The second if you’re killing yourself in order to call attention to a cause, that would be much more passive. As a matter of fact, the first politician that I remember calling the phrase "passive resistance" was Mahatma Gandhi, who went on numerous hunger strikes; however, I do not believe that it was his goal to commit suicide. And, indeed, eventually won the point in freedom from the British Crown. I do believe that I can sum it up by stating that in a civilized world there are many better solutions than to kill oneself. As in most forms of martyrdom, it is neither effective nor appreciated. I would hope that the human race has advanced beyond this kind of "end of the lin" tactics. Right now, I admire the humorists, like Larry David, who did an entire segment on a retired kamikaze pilot. To him, this was an oxymoron.

HILLARY
I am not in any way advocating suicide or self-destruction as a means to gain attention. What I am suggesting is that those people who are honoring suicide bombers as martyrs might have more to honor if those who strapped on explosives didn’t take anyone with them.

JACK
To me, it is all part of the madness that is inundated the world today. This is a time for statesmen, not suicide.

HomeSite Map

Communication is inspiration! Share your thoughts below.