zymurgy said:
Simply put, a coward is someone that can't face their fears.
What are the fears of a suicide bomber? I honestly don't know. Gunny and the rest of you don't know either. The major difference is some of you like to make shat up.
They fear life. They fear the unstructured existence that a lifetime of mundane religious controlling organization hasn't prepared them for. They fear "infidels." They fear the dissapointments of adulthood. They are internally angry and embarrassed. We are the "infidels," yet our civilization prospers as theirs fails. Israel is a tiny little country within this region of abuse and oppression and home of the "Zions," yet their civilization prospers as their's fails.
There are professional psychological studies into this subject. Go crack a book. Relying on your "feelings" isn't getting you far. I have read four of these. I suggest number "7" definately. Of course, a bunch of psychiatrists, social experts, and terrorist experts who make this subject their life long work and write books are probably just "making shat up" too....huh?
Some Books on Religion, Violence, and Terrorism
1)
The End of Days
Conflict in the Middle East has resulted in untold death, destruction and suffering. Although many have offered plausible arguments as to the social, political, and economic origins of the various conflicts, inevitably everything keeps coming back to religion: the disagreement and violence between Christians, Jews, and Muslims. This means that understanding the role of religion in these disagreements is necessary to understanding the violence itself...
2)
The Holy War Idea in Western and Islamic Traditions
Holy wars, or wars waged on behalf of religion and religious ideology, are simultaneously a source of both terror and fascination for many people in the West. At one time an important aspect of Christian doctrine, the concept has been generally relegated to the sphere of fanaticism and primitive barbarism - but not everyone shares this dismissive attitude. In Islam, holy wars remain a key ingredient of both doctrine and practice. Why does this difference exist?
3)
Wrath of Jonah
Religious leaders normally argue that religion is a force for good and love in the world. Yet, at the same time, we see religion regularly used for war, mass murder, and even genocide. Why does this difference exist - how can religion be claimed as a basis for peace while so many use it as a basis for terrorism?
4)
Why the Nations Rage
Religious leaders normally argue that religion is a force for good and love in the world. Yet, at the same time, we see religion regularly used for war, mass murder, and even genocide. Why does this difference exist - how can religion be claimed as a basis for peace while so many use it as a basis for terrorism?
5)
For God And Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire
Is America's 'war on terrorism' really a war against extremism and on behalf of democracy, or is it instead a war on Islam? Americans insist that their concern is political, not religious, but there are good reasons to believe that even if this is true, the rhetoric and conduct of Americans is turning the war on terrorism into a war on Islam.
6)
Fighting Words: The Origins of Religious Violence
Most religions depict themselves as forces for peace and harmony; in reality, most religions have been intimately involved in some of the worst violence that humanity has ever experienced. How and why does this contradiction exist? It's true that religions preach peace overtly, but perhaps there is something going on in the background which people don't notice consciously.
7)
Good Muslim, Bad Muslim America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror
The American government says that we are engaged in a war against terrorism, not a war against Islam. Of course, all of the terrorists being targeted happen to be Muslim, leading to the attempted distinction between 'good Muslims' and 'bad Muslims.' Upon what is this distinction based, and is it a valid way of viewing the Middle East?
Tell me, from what study do you form your opinions around? I'm guessing none. Here you have an opportunity to learn a little bit by opening your mind up to this study. Of course, it's up to you to do what you will, but I assure you that my "opinion" is based on a study and may be taken as "fact."
