Suicide Bombers Research Articles

The Role of Women in Terrorism in Indonesia

The involvement of women in terrorism in Indonesia has been seen since 2000 which was marked by Munfiatun's involvement as Noordin Muhammad Top's second wife in acts of terrorism at the Marriot Hotel in 2003 and the Australian Embassy in Jakarta in 2004. At this time, women do not act as the main actors but as supporters based on the relationship between husband and wife. Changes in the status of women's roles in acts of terrorism began to be seen in 2016 after the arrest of Dian Yulia Novi as the perpetrator in the pot bomb case in Bekasi. After the arrest, there was an increase in the involvement of women in acts of terrorism. Social media has succeeded in changing the role of women into perpetrators of terrorist actions. This article aims to determine the factors causing the increase in the role of women in terrorism in Indonesia, both in the form of bomb threats, attacks on officers, and suicide bombings. This study uses qualitative methods with secondary data sourced from court decisions and news in the national media from 2016 to 2022. This research found that husband and wife relationships aren't the main cause of women's involvement in Indonesian terrorism. Through the theory of the Hypodermic Needle, it was obtained that the media can provide information that affects society at large. These theories are considered appropriate in describing the propaganda of terrorist groups against female terror perpetrators in Indonesia where the media has a major influence in changing the thinking of the audience, directing the behavior of the audience, shaping attitudes, and even initiating the implementation of terror acts.

Representation of Identity Crisis in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist

This paper underscores the existential status of the immigrants in the United States of America as portrayed in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist written as a response to the 9/11 attacks occurred on 11 September 2001. In the post-9/11 situation, the identity of Pakistani immigrants is more at risk than before because of the perpetrators’ religious identity as widely perceived to be extreme. Being Pakistani means being part of a society divided into different groups that are at odds with each other over religious, sectarian and political issues. In such a situation, where Pakistan does not only fight a war against terrorism but is a victim of terrorism as well, it is simply impossible to have a single national identity. Not only at home Pakistanis suffer the repercussions of terrorism but also in the United States of American as depicted in the text. The characters cast in the novel represent different ethnic groups of people who reside in the United States of America. They are divided into liberals. However, only Muslim characters seem excluded from society. They are treated as others in the land of democracy. They feel homeless and suffer existential crisis. The paper has aimed at exploring the causes of identity crisis in the novel. The event of September 11 changed the way the Islamic world views fundamentalists and terrorists. The obsession of Hamid is the loss of values, religious and political exploitation of the masses, suicide bombings and sectarianism, and the consequent evolution of individual identity perception in an alienating social framework.

THE ROLE OF DA'I AS GUARDIAN OF THE INTEGRITY OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

A preacher as the subject of preaching activities plays a crucial role in determining the direction of the influence of their preaching. However, it is regrettable to observe the reality of preaching conducted by some preachers today, which is filled with condemnation, judgment, and provocation. The duty of a preacher is to convey (tabligh), not to judge or provoke. This phenomenon can trigger actions that may cause division within the Indonesian nation. In fact, several social conflicts have occurred in Indonesia due to judgments and provocations from certain parties. In Indonesia, there have been instances of public property destruction deemed as places of vice by preaching activists. The case of a family in Surabaya on May 13, 2018, conducting a suicide bombing to destroy places of worship for non-Muslims and the provocation of religious figures towards the community during each election event serves as an example.

The Re-emergence of Parang Sabil: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis on Suicide Terrorism Phenomenon in the Philippine

Terrorists and the threat of terrorism know no pandemic, as the 2020 Jolo suicide bomber incident vividly demonstrates. One of the signs of the new age of Philippine terrorism is the emergence of suicide terrorism. However, the lack of adequate explanations for the phenomenon shows that suicide terrorism is still a poorly researched topic in Philippine terrorism studies. This paper aims to contribute to the literature by investigating the power dynamics, specifically looking at how the phenomenon is interpreted by scholars using the Foucauldian Discourse Analysis. This study presents several scholarly arguments, examines how these arguments are created, and looks into the implications of their understandings. We argue that scholars hold the power to interpret the phenomenon. Their interpretations are crucial in policymaking. The results reveal that the limited information available allowed for such a diverse range of hypotheses. Yet, despite the limitations, their initial interpretations are crucial in addressing the issue at this time. This highlights the importance of scholars in this setting. The truths revealed here may or may not have an impact on unique community conditions.

REPORTERS' ACCESSIBILITY: WORKING CONDITIONS OF LOCAL JOURNALISTS COVERING INDIGENOUS CONFLICT IN SWAT

This research investigates the working conditions and challenges faced by local journalists in the Swat district of Pakistan amidst periods of violence, focusing on incidents such as military operations and suicide bombings by the Taliban. Through interviews with journalists in the region, the study explores how they navigate the complexities of reporting traumatic events while grappling with physical and emotional strain. Employing Pierre Bourdieu's Field Theory, the research analyzes journalists' strategies for accessing conflict zones safely and ensuring the journalistic principles of objectivity and fairness. Using concepts like Capital, Habitus, and Doxa, the study situates journalists within the volatile social landscape to highlight the interconnectedness of their professional and personal spheres. Despite possessing cultural and social capital, journalists face significant risks to their safety while fulfilling their reporting duties in dangerous environments.

Globalization and Terrorism in Nigeria: A Retrospective Reflection

Nigerian sovereignty for more than a decade was challenged by the onslaught of Sunni Jihadism in the North-East. The Jihadist insurgency took a more frightening dimension with the emergence of Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP in alliance with Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda Awati Wal-Jihad, otherwise known as Boko Haram in bid to Islamize a secular nation-state. This paper in retrospective sense examined the frightening reality and, argued that this absurdity is facilitated by global spread of Islamic extremism and terrorism. The discourse adopted qualitative research design to explore the relevance of secondary and non-participant observational sources of data collection and content-analyzed issues and enfolding events. The discourse revealed that well-coordinated suicide bombings of Louis Edet House, Nigeria Police Headquarters on June 16, 2011 and United Nations building on August 26, 2011 at Abuja, the Federal Capital, were visible manifestations of global terrorist links of Boko Haram with Al-Qaeda. And, subsequent pledge of allegiance to ISIL in March 2015 watershed the varicosity of global terrorism in Africa most populous country. In credence to these findings, the discourse suggested holistic review of national security strategy and operational

No, Punitive House Demolition Does Not Reduce Suicide Bombing: Revisiting Evidence from the Second Intifada

ABSTRACT Punitive house demolitions were intensified by the Israeli government during the Second Intifada with the intent of curbing suicide bombings. Using econometric analysis, Benmelech et al. (2015) suggest that this policy is effective, citing deterrence as the driving factor. In 2014, the Israeli Supreme Court relied on the findings of an earlier draft of the Benmelech paper to reject a petition against the resumption of punitive housing demolition. In this research, I show that the Benmelech findings are spurious due to misspecified modelling and that the reported effect of punitive house demolition camouflages confounding factors. I also show that among the multiple security measures put in place during the Second Intifada, arrest campaigns did negatively impacted suicide bombings. I provide suggestive evidence that explains individual motives for suicide bombings and why punitive house demolition lacks a deterrence effect. The motives are likely related to the aggravation of grievances from excessive state oppression, willingness to exact revenge, and the glorification of self-sacrifice and martyrdom in asymmetric conflict.

Explaining the Decline Of Suicide Terrorism in Turkey

AbstractSince the 9/11 attacks, there has been a growing interest in the terrorism problem, in general, and the strategy of suicide bombing, in particular. Between 1996 and 2016, Turkey experienced several deadly suicide attacks by groups like the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front, al‐Qaeda, and the Islamic State. These attacks can be explained by individual‐oriented, institutional, socio‐psychological/economical/identity, and structural theories. However, a central question now is why there have been no suicide attacks since 2016—that is, until the attempted bombing of the Ministry of the Interior on October 1, 2023. This article advances five main reasons for this success: a shift in Turkey's antiterrorism strategy, the introduction of new technologies, terror groups’ concerns about losing legitimacy among supporters, the failure of these organizations to achieve their objectives through suicide terrorism, and changes in Turkey's external environment. The article concludes that, as the October 1 attack demonstrates, the renewal of suicide terrorism is likely, given Ankara's sole focus on the institutional and international/structural aspects of the problem, which does not allow enough attention on individual and sociological factors.

Correlation analysis of mental health conditions and personality of patients with alcohol addiction

BACKGROUND Alcohol addiction, or alcohol dependence, refers to a psychological state of strong craving for alcohol caused by drinking when both the drinking times and alcohol consumption reach a certain level. Alcohol addiction can cause irreversible damage, leading to mental illness or mental disorders, negative changes in their original personality, and a tendency to safety incidents such as committing suicide or violent attacks on others. Significant attention needs to be given to the mental health of alcohol addicts, which could reflect their abnormal personality traits. However, only a few papers on this issue have been reported in China. AIM To investigate the correlation between mental health and personality in patients with alcohol addiction. METHODS In this single-center observational study, we selected 80 patients with alcohol addiction as the research subjects, according to the criteria of the K10 scale to evaluate the mental health of patients with alcohol addiction, and divided these patients into four groups based on the evaluation results: Good, average, relatively poor and bad. And then analyzed the correlation between mental health conditions and personality characteristics from these four groups of patients. RESULTS The average score of the K10 scale (Kessler 10 Simple Psychological Status Assessment Scale) in 80 patients with alcohol addiction was 25.45 points, the median score was 25 points, the highest score was 50 points, and the lowest score was 11 points. Pearson 's analysis showed that the K10 score was positively correlated with the scores of these two subscales, such as the P-subscale and the N-subscale (P < 0.05). In contrast, the K10 score had no significant correlation with the scores from the E-subscale and the L-subscale (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION The mental health conditions of patients with alcohol addiction are positively correlated with their personality characteristics.

Dying with the enemy: Interrogating the roles of religion in social support for suicide terrorism

Suicide terrorism seemingly employed to settled conflicts between the Shiite and the Sunnis, mixed with the Salafis ideology of violence is also seen used for demand for State of Islam, national liberation, and propagation against democracies, mis-governance, and secularism amongst others. Terror cells groups could be seen aggravating suicide terrorism by substituting suicide for martyrdom. It was against this background that this study engage religious belief hypothesis to interrogate the roles of religion in garnering social support for suicide terrorism. The study decomposes roles of religion in suicide terrorism into crises between the Shiites and the Sunnis, substitution of suicide with martyrdom. The study employed desktop research design with reliance historical and secondary data from extant literature. The study concludes that the manipulation of the religious injunctions, extremist interpretation of religious teachings, as well as advancement of religion facade for economic gains stronger motivation for people who support suicide terrorism. Finding from the study showed that there would be no successful suicide terror campaign without the support of the society where the suicide terrorists reside and whose interest they claim to be defending. The study recommends that distorted ideology driven by religion can only be countered by respected Islamic clerics and leaders, especially from the Arab world with covert Western support to circumvent the perverted narrative of martyrdom as sacrifice for the good of the land, people or God, and rather brand it as common suicide and an honourless venture.

The Role of Algorithms and the Formation of Hate Speech Polarization on Twitter (Case Study of Video Content of KH Said Aqil Siradj's Visit after the Suicide Bomb Explosion at Makassar Cathedral)

After the 2021 suicide bombing at the Makassar Cathedral church, the general chairman of PBNU, Said Aqil Siradj, visited the Makassar Cathedral to provide moral support to Catholics. The video of thevisit provoked reactions both in the digital realm and offline. Even though this visit had a positive nuance, on Twitter there were comments containing insults and hate speech. This research uses qualitative text analysis to analyze the comments that appear andanswer why video content that has a positive nuance and contains tolerance can trigger negative comments. The results of this research prove that polarized comments are not much influenced by the content. The content becomes a trigger so that like-minded people can confirm the beliefs they have long held. Apart from that, from this study, researchers see that there are things outside humans (non-humans) that shape the interpretation of social media users. This network of people with the same beliefs is united by features of social media platforms that bring users closer together,namely comments, retweets and likes.

Female Mob Encounters and Boko-Haram in the North-East of Nigeria, 2009-2019

As African states grapple with the challenges of democratic governance, there are postcolonial experiences of mob-related violence. Such is manifest in the extrajudicial reaction of citizens across North-East Nigeria to suspected attacks by agents of the Boko Haram insurgency. Scholarly contributions have established various dimensions of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. However, little attention is given to the nuances of gender and mob-induced violence and their implications for the security and development of women. Thus, this work examines the contexts of mob justice meted out to women webbed in Boko Haram-instigated suicide bombing. Findings from the study reveal that female suicide terrorism and the resultant social sanctions have further positioned women as vulnerable instruments of terror and subsequently as bearers of the security burdens that accompany mob justice perpetration within contexts of the Boko Haram insurgency.

In the Name of Sovereignty

Abstract In a post-9/11 world, the figure of the female suicide bomber has emerged as a contentious figure in global discourse. Through the character of Saraswathi, Nayomi Munaweera’s novel Island of a Thousand Mirrors (2012) foregrounds how the construction of this subaltern figure hinges on her susceptibility to rape. This relationship between rape and suicide bombing is deployed differently by the counterterrorist institutions that target her and the ethnonationalist movements that recruit her to make her speak as both victim and agent while silencing her. This article thus argues that we need to move away from the framework of victimhood and agency, which assumes subjectivity without accounting for how the body of the female subaltern is excluded from inhabiting subjecthood as a construct of bounded national sovereignty. Using Jasbir Puar’s theory of queer assemblage, the author explains how Saraswathi’s suicide bomber in ITM is constructed as a figure of antinormative subjectivity through a discourse of U.S. exceptionalism in opposition to a normative U.S. national identity and sovereignty. The author builds on Puar’s insights, which draw on affect theory, to rethink Saraswathi’s violent protest as a moment that destabilizes these normative identities and their related social scripts. The author further posits alternative visions of antinormative subjectivity in the novel that allow for Saraswathi’s survival after her rape.

Tactical Strategies, Women Suicide Bombers and Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Boko Haram

Tactical Strategies, Women Suicide Bombers and Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Boko Haram

Bom Bunuh Diri dalam novel Junūdullah, karya Fawwaz Haddad: Studi analisis Altruism Suicide Emile Durkehim.

This study uses Emile Durkheim's theory of concepts altruism suicide as a basis for understanding the motive behind the act of suicide bombing in the novel "Junu>dullah" by Fawwaz Haddad. The research method used is descriptive qualitative method. This theory states that suicide bombings carried out by a person can sometimes be seen as an altruistic act, that is, an action taken for the benefit of a group or society, not for the sake of the individual alone. Through analysis of the novel "Junu>dullah”, the author finds that suicide bombings committed by jihadists are closely related to war situations with unequal forces militarily. So that the phenomenon of suicide bombings contained in the novel is more closely related to war tactics than as an expression of excessive religiosity. In addition, the suicide bombings are also driven by a very high sense of unity in society as reflected in the novel.

A Descriptive Study ofCasualties Evacuated Out ofAfghanistan by Critical Care Air Transport Teams During the Withdrawal ofU.S. Troops.

The War in Afghanistan ended in August 2021. Evacuation from the country was a large effort during the last days of the conflict. During evacuation efforts at Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport, a suicide bombing occurred necessitating emergent medical care for many injured troops and civilians. The U.S. Air Force Critical Care Air Transport Teams (CCATTs) played a role in the medical care provided during the operations in Afghanistan. We report on in-flight events and interventions that took place during the final days of the Afghanistan withdrawal. We performed a retrospective chart review of patients requiring aeromedical evacuation from the Afghanistan theater of operations by CCATT from July 1 to August 30, 2021. From the CCATT patient care record, data abstractors collected patient characteristics, flight information, vital signs, laboratory values, in-flight interventions, and in-flight events in a study-specific electronic database. We performed descriptive analyses of patient characteristics and in-flight interventions. This study was approved by the San Antonio Institutional Review Board. Nine patients were included in this analysis. Seven out of nine patients were foreign nationals; the remaining two were U.S. Marines. Five patients suffered penetrating injuries from gunshot wounds and four suffered blast injuries. Six received intravenous narcotic analgesia. Four received intravenous sedatives, and four received antibiotics in flight. Two patients required chest tube management. One patient received blood. Three patients were in acute respiratory distress. Severe injuries were sustained during the withdrawal efforts at the end of the War in Afghanistan. Critical Care Air Transport Teams played a role in the care and evacuation of patients out of theater during this unique and unprecedented time. Even given the limitations associated with retrospective studies and a small sample size, information reported in this study can help inform future decisions, and aid in preparatory efforts for future operations, that may require medical care by CCATT.

Connections between family violence and violence in the public sphere in Afghanistan

Afghanistan has endured over four decades of violence in the public sphere, such as war and suicide attacks. To effectively provide psychosocial counseling using a psychodynamic approach in Afghanistan, it is crucial to recognize the potential connection between ongoing public violence and high rates of family violence. In 2019, we conducted a study to explore the relationship between public violence and family violence among Kabul residents, including those seeking counseling and those who were not. Our cross-sectional mixed methods survey recruited 299 participants from a psychosocial counseling service as well as community members who were not receiving the service. The findings revealed a significant positive correlation between experiences of public violence and family violence. Both clients and non-clients reported experiencing high levels of violence, which led to impairments in daily functioning and increased suicidality. Additionally, a thematic analysis of open-ended questions indicated changes in attitudes resulting from exposure to violence, including feelings of helplessness and hopelessness both in and out of the home. We conclude that applying a psychodynamic approach to psychosocial counseling in Afghanistan requires awareness of the positive correlation between public violence and family violence in a society that has been exposed to violence in the public sphere for over forty years. Mental health care needs to contribute towards breaking cycles of violence by empowering clients to take control of their lives and become agents of change within their families and communities.

Suicide risk profiles among service members and veterans exposed to suicide.

Rates of suicide exposure are high among service members and Veterans and are especially concerning given the link between suicide exposure and subsequent suicide risk. However, to date, it is unclear which individuals who are exposed to suicide are subsequently at high risk for suicide. Latent profile analysis (LPA) can provide information on unique risk profiles and subgroups of service members and Veterans who have higher suicide risk after suicide exposure, which has not yet been empirically studied. The purpose of this study was to utilize LPA to identify subgroups of service members and Veterans who are at the highest risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors following suicide exposure. We analyzed data using LPA from 2570 service members and Veterans (82.1% male, 69.5% White, and 12.1% Latino/a/x) who completed the Military Suicide Research Consortium's Common Data Elements, a battery of self-report suicide-related measures. Psychopathology, substance use, mental health service utilization, interpersonal theory of suicide, and suicide exposure variables were used to validate classes. Three latent classes emerged from analyses, one low-risk class and two-high risk classes with differing profile compositions (one primarily differentiated by anxiety symptoms and one differentiated by substance use). Class-specific recommendations for suicide prevention efforts will be discussed.

Religiosity and Political Islam: Divergent Influences on Support for Terrorism

AbstractThis study examines the intricate relationship between religion and attitudes towards terrorist violence, with a specific focus on individual sympathy for al-Qaeda and justification for suicide bombings. While religion has the capacity to promote both harmony and social cohesion, as well as division and conflict, it is crucial to explore the complex and contradictory nature of religious beliefs in relation to individuals’ attitudes towards terrorism. To address this paradox, the study differentiates between religion as a belief and religion as an ideology. Drawing from a subset of the 2011 Pew Global Attitudes Survey, encompassing countries with substantial Muslim populations (Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey), the research investigates how religiosity and political Islam influence public attitudes towards terrorism, considering political and economic grievances in these contexts. Multivariate statistical analysis suggests that religiosity and political Islam exhibit distinct associations with the justification of suicide bombings and support for al-Qaeda, and these dynamics vary across countries. Ultimately, the study underscores the importance of perceiving religiosity not as a threat but as a potential remedy to prevent extremism by fostering an educated and deeper understanding of religious principles.

From Zin the Mythical Heroine to Zilan, the First Kurdish Female Suicide Bomber: The PKK’s Creation of a New Feminist Figuration

This article examines how the <i>Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan</i> (PKK) and its leader Abdullah Öcalan draw inspiration for their national struggle, through an appropriation of the female figure Zin from the 1692 classic Kurdish love myth <i>Mem and Zin</i> written by Ehmedê Xanî (1650-1707), turning her into a symbol of love for the nation. Based on interviews with some fully-fledged members of PKK and Abdullah Öcalan’s written works, as well as observations from fieldwork conducted in the mountainous areas of Iraq, this article will analyse how an old love story has become entangled with the PKK’s national struggle and its pursuit of a new human type, one that might truly represent a new type of freedom fighter. In this re-configuration, love for the opposite sex must be transformed radically into love for the native land, with death as a consequence if sacrifice is seen as necessary. Drawing on the work of Donna J. Haraway, Elisabeth Grosz and Rosi Braidotti, this analysis examines how history, nature, geography, myth, and nostalgia are employed in the re-configuration of gender and love, and in the creation of a new feminist figuration that recalls Haraway’s cyborg figure.