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One
of the most puzzling questions that impose themselves upon us while
watching in the news or reading in newspapers in complete disbelief about
the continuous daily suicide bombers: How could anyone commit such violent
acts being aware of the fact that they are killing innocent people and
themselves in the attack? As an Arab who was born Muslim, I was asked the
same question over and over by those who were aware of my background. I
was at lost for words that would quench their thirst for the rational
answer to help them come to an understanding of the tragic occurrence of
the suicide bombers incidents. How could I explain to them the reasons
behind the attacks if I don't understand it myself? Often, I sit down to
contemplate about the motives behind sacrificing one's life for a cause. I
find myself going back to my childhood in an attempt to search for the
answer that would guide me toward an understanding and maybe acceptance of
these tragic events. The majority of Arabic and Muslim children go through
a process of Islamic education that lasts from grade 1 to grade 12. During
the span of their religious education, they are taught the glorious events
that took place during the profit Mohammad and his successors. They learn
that the highest and honorable reward after death goes to those who
sacrifice their lives in defending or spreading Islam. As a child l was
listening to those glorious stories of the struggle and sacrifices made by
those who followed and fought for the spread of Allah (God) words of
Koran. I was fascinated and full of admiration and respect toward their
courage and bravery. At that time, I had a profound desire to be there
with them. I heard repeatedly that those who died defending Allah (God)
will be in their company in the day of accountability. As we grew older
and our hormones take control, we were faced with the restriction imposed
upon our sexual activities by Islamic rules. The Islamic education evolved
to feed the young men with overactive hormones, the rewards of abstinence
and waiting for the chance of getting married. However, the majority of
men were poor to afford the expenses of marriage including the dowry
imposed upon the man by the Islamic rules and traditions. On the other
hand, Islam teaching by those who interpret Islam to suite their hidden
motives, imply that the single men who die as a martyr in defending or
spreading Islam will have the choice to select the Horia (A woman of
tremendous beauty and figure at the peek of her youth who never ages) to
be his wife from the group of Horias in Heaven. Young Men are faced with
the prospect of a short life in poverty without having any chance to
accumulate enough money to get married, compared to an eternal life in
Heaven, . That combined with the fantasies of being a martyr and spending
eternity in Heaven in the company of the profit Mohammad and his
successors make them extremely susceptible to be recruited by the
fundamentalists with their eloquent and rhetorical speeches. I believe
that we don't need wars in which more people will die. We should abstain
from referring to violence in the name of vengeance. Instead we must focus
on educating those young men. Killing their leaders will not end their
violent acts. On the contrary, it might provoke them to retaliate. Suicide
bombs incidents will come to an end when extremist and fundamentalists
fail to find new recruits. I do believe that ignorance and hatred are at
the roots of all violent acts of all people regardless of their origin or
race. If we unite to conquer the ignorance that is abundant among us, all
acts of violence will stop.
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