# Suicide bombers



## MOB (Mar 10, 2005)

The psychology behind suicide bombings
By Pierre Rehov, French Documentary Filmmaker

On July 15, MSNBC's "Connected" program discussed the 7/7 London attacks. One of the guests was Pierre Rehov, a French filmmaker who has filmed six documentaries on the intifada by going undercover in the Palestinian areas.

Pierre's upcoming film, "Suicide Killers," is based on interviews that he
conducted with the families of suicide bombers and would-be bombers in an attempt to find out why they do it. Pierre agreed to a request for a Q&A
interview here about his work on the new film. Many thanks to Dean Draznin and Arlyn Riskind for helping to arrange this special interview.
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Q: What inspired you to produce "Suicide Killers," your seventh film?

A: I started working with victims of suicide attacks to make a film on PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) when I became fascinated with the
personalities of those who had committed those crimes, as they were
described again and again by their victims. Especially the fact that
suicide bombers are all smiling one second before they blow themselves up.

Q: Why is this film especially important?

A: People don't understand the devastating culture behind this unbelievable phenomenon. My film is not politically correct because it addresses the real problem-showing the real face of Islam. It points the finger against a culture of hatred in which the uneducated are brainwashed to a level where their only solution in life becomes to kill themselves and kill others in the name of a God whose word, as transmitted by other men, has be came their only certitude.

Q: What insights did you gain from making this film? What do you know that other experts do not know?

A: I came to the conclusion that we are facing a neurosis at the level of an
entire civilization. Most neuroses have in common a dramatic event,
generally linked to an unacceptable sexual behavior. In this case, we are
talking of kids living all their lives in pure frustration, with no
opportunity to experience sex, love, tenderness or even understanding from the opposite sex. The separation between men and women in Islam is absolute. So is contempt toward women, who are totally dominated by men. This leads to a situation of pure anxiety, in which normal behavior is not possible. It is no coincidence that suicide killers are mostly young men
dominated subconsciously by an overwhelming libido that they not only
cannot satisfy but are afraid of, as if it is the work of the devil. Since
Islam describes heaven as a place where everything on earth will finally
be allowed, and promises 72 virgins to those frustrated kids, killing
others and killing themselves to reach this redemption becomes their only
solution.

Q: What was it like to interview would-be suicide bombers, their families and survivors of suicide bombings?

A: It was a fascinating and a terrifying experience. You are dealing with
seemingly normal people with very nice manners who have their own logic, which to a certain extent can make sense since they are so convinced that what they say is true. It is like dealing with pure craziness, like interviewing people in an asylum, since what they say, is for them, the absolute truth. I hear a mother saying "Thank God, my son is dead." Her son had became a shaheed, a martyr, which for her was a greater source of pride than if he had became an engineer, a doctor or a winner of the Nobel Prize. This system of values works completely backwards since their interpretation of Islam worships death much more than life. You are facing people whose only dream, only achievement is to fulfill what they believe to be their destiny, namely to be a shaheed or the family of a shaheed. They don't see the innocent being killed, they only see the impure that they have to destroy.

Q: You say suicide bombers experience a moment of absolute power, beyond punishment. Is death the ultimate power?

A: Not death as an end, but death as a door open to the afterlife. They are seeking the reward that God has promised them. They work for God, the ultimate authority, above all human laws. They therefore experience this single delusional second of absolute power, where nothing bad can ever happen to them, since they become God's sword.

Q: Is there a suicide bomber personality profile? Describe the 
psychopathology.

A: Generally kids between 15 and 25 bearing a lot of complexes, generally inferiority complexes. They must have been fed with religion. They usually have a lack of developed personality. Usually they are impressionable idealists. In the western world they would easily have become drug addicts, but not criminals. Interestingly, they are not criminals since they don't see good and evil the same way that we do. If they had been raised in an Occidental culture, they would have hated violence. But they constantly battle against their own death anxiety. The only solution to this deep-seated pathology is to be willing to die and be rewarded in the afterlife in Paradise.

Q: Are suicide bombers principally motivated by religious conviction?

A: Yes, it is their only conviction. They don't act to gain a territory or to
find freedom or even dignity. They only follow Allah, the supreme judge,
and what He tells them to do.

Q: Do all Muslims interpret jihad and martyrdom in the same way?

A: All Muslim believers believe that, ultimately, Islam will prevail on
earth. They believe this is the only true religion and there is no room,
in their mind, for interpretation. The main difference between moderate
Muslims and extremists is that moderate Muslims don't think they will see
the absolute victory of Islam during their lifetime, therefore they
respect other beliefs. The extremists believe that the fulfillment of the
Prophecy of Islam and ruling the entire world as described the Koran,
is for today. Each victory of Bin Laden convinces 20 million moderate
Muslims to become extremists.

Q: Describe the culture that manufactures suicide bombers.

A: Oppression, lack of freedom, brain-washing, organized poverty, placing God in charge of daily life, total separation between men and women, forbidding sex, giving women no power whatsoever, and placing men in charge of family honor, which is mainly connected to their women's
behavior.

Q: What socio-economic forces support the perpetuation of suicide bombings?

A: Muslim charity is usually a cover for supporting terrorist organizations.
But one has also to look at countries like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and
Iran, which are also supporting the same organizations through different
networks. The ironic thing in the case of Palestinian suicide bombers is
that most of the money comes through financial support from the Occidental world, donated to a culture that utterly hates and rejects the West (mainly symbolized by Israel).

Q: Is there a financial support network for the families of the suicide
bombers? If so, who is paying them and how does that affect the decision?

A: There used to be a financial incentive in the days of Saddam Hussein
($25,000 per family) and Yasser Arafat (smaller amounts), but these days
are gone. It is a mistake to believe that these families would sacrifice
their children for money. Although, the children themselves who are very
attached to their families, might find in this financial support another
reason to become suicide bombers. It is like buying a life insurance
policy and then committing suicide.

Q: Why are so many suicide bombers young men?

A: As discussed above , libido is paramount. Also ego, because this 
is a sure way to become a hero. The shaheeds are the cowboys or the firemen of Islam. Shaheed is a positively reinforced value in this culture. And what kid has never dreamed of becoming a cowboy or a fireman?

Q: What role does the U.N. play in the terrorist equation?

A: The UN is in the hands of Arab countries and third world or ex-communists countries. Their hands are tied. The UN has condemned Israel more than any other country in the world, including the regime of Castro, Idi Amin or Kaddahfi. By behaving this way, the UN leaves a door open by not openly condemning terrorist organizations. In addition, through UNRWA, the UN is directly tied to terror organizations such as Hamas, representing 65 percent of their apparatus in the so-called Palestinian refugee camps. As a support to Arab countries, the UN has maintained Palestinians in camps with the hope to return into Israel for more than 50 years, therefore making it impossible to settle those populations, which still live in deplorable conditions. Four-hundred million dollars are spent every year, mainly financed by U.S. taxes, to support 23,000 employees of UNRWA, many of whom belong to terrorist organizations (see Congressman Eric Cantor on this subject, and in my film "Hostages of Hatred").

Q: You say that a suicide bomber is a 'stupid bomb and a smart bomb'
simultaneously. Explain what you mean.

A: Unlike an electronic device, a suicide killer has until the last second
the capacity to change his mind. In reality, he is nothing but a platform
representing interests which are not his, but he doesn't know it.

Q: How can we put an end to the madness of suicide bombings and terrorism in general?

A: Stop being politically correct and stop believing that this culture is a
victim of ours. Radical Islamism today is nothing but a new form of
Nazism. Nobody was trying to justify or excuse Hitler in the 1930s. We had to defeat him in order to make peace one day with the German people.

Q: Are these men traveling outside their native areas in large 
numbers? Based on your research, would you predict that we are beginning to see a new wave of suicide bombings outside the Middle East?

A: Every successful terror attack is considered a victory by the radical
Islamists. Everywhere Islam expands there is regional conflict. Right
now their are thousands of candidates for martyrdom lining up in training
camps in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Pakistan. Inside Europe, hundreds of illegal
mosques are preparing the next step of brain washing to lost young men who cannot find a satisfying identity in the Occidental world. Israel is much more prepared for this than the rest of the world will ever be. Yes, there will be more suicide killings in Europe and the U.S. Sadly, this is only the beginning.


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

Great post MOB....

This is valuable information about the insight into how Islam is seen through the eyes of the believers...

This is _REAL_ evidence from someone who conducted _REAL_ research into all the dynamics that play into the terrorist mentality.

THESE are the types of first hand reports that _*I*_ believe when discussing whether Islam is a dangerous religion.....

Now maybe some of those who have been naysaying the opposite have a more _realistic _understanding about what they espouse.

Thanks again...

Ryan


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## Gun Owner (Sep 9, 2005)

Am I over simplifying this, or do we just need to start dropping boxes filled with playboys and Jergens over these areas so these boys can "relax" some pent up frustrations?

Very good post, great info. Goes right to the heart of the problem to..

At the root of all evil, is the desire for man to get booty....


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## seabass (Sep 26, 2002)

This quote;
"Each victory of Bin Laden convinces 20 million moderate Muslims to become extremists" I believe is simply not true. But someone please enlighten me. I guess that would start by defining the difference between a so-called _moderate_ muslim and an _extremist._

Other than that I thought it was a good report.


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## DJRooster (Nov 4, 2002)

You are what your environment has made you and it is difficult to rise above it and this is the product of culture and religion and billions of people have died since the beginning of time because of extremism. Even Charlie Manson found a few people who believed in his ideals. Actually radical Islam has really educated the rest of the world about what many of those who have lived with it for eons already new. We are certainly getting an education and it does not come cheap in dollars or lives.


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

> THESE are the types of first hand reports that I believe when discussing whether Islam is a dangerous religion.....


I wouldn't say it is Islam. You are every bit as radical as the terrorists and I believe you are a Christian.



> Am I over simplifying this, or do we just need to start dropping boxes filled with playboys and Jergens over these areas so these boys can "relax" some pent up frustrations?


Over simplified, but the base idea is right.


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## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

Militant_Tiger said:


> > THESE are the types of first hand reports that I believe when discussing whether Islam is a dangerous religion.....
> 
> 
> I wouldn't say it is Islam. You are every bit as radical as the terrorists and I believe you are a Christian.


How dare you imply that my religous preferences dictate my political commentary. I'm don't subscribe to belonging to a particular religion MT. I'm much more agnostic than even you...

I have an open mind to anything that will achieve tolerance and understanding.... just because I have the ability to contemplate all kinds of alternative ideas on how to achieve an objective, doesn't make me a terrorist.

At lease I have proposed real ideas and suggestions unlike you who only tries to take some kind of "moral high road" and talk in spin and conjecture. That my friend is truly pathetic. You have all the answers, yet none of the experience, ambition, knowledge or guts to actually take a position with solutions.

BTW MT... nice try at spinning this thread cascading down a different path.. let's focus on the message contained in the article... and not on me...


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

> How dare you imply that my religous preferences dictate my political commentary


You imply that these fanatics are spawned out of their religion. You also happen to support their tactics, there is not much of a leap there.



> I have an open mind to anything that will achieve tolerance and understanding.... just because I have the ability to contemplate all kinds of alternative ideas on how to achieve an objective, doesn't make me a terrorist.


An open mind? So do you propose that we allow terrorist collaborators to walk free because they support the tactics but don't partake in them?



> BTW MT... nice try at spinning this thread at cascading down a different path.. let's focus on the message contained in the article... and not on me...


You implied that this was "proof" as to why Islam is a violent religion. You took this thread down said road, I am simply rebutting your claim.


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

MT, the muslims have been killing each other since the beginning of written history, and now have just expanded that in the last 30 years. What is so hard to get about that. All religions have the potential to be bad, if taken to far, i.e. the crusades, and others. The muslim religion is in that phase now.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Southdakbearfan

I think if you go beyond the Crusades you will find they begin in retaliation against Muslim aggression way back then also. They pushed up into Europe and were stopped in Spain. The Crusades followed these aggressors back to their lair.


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

The Crusades were to "take back" the holy land, but Plainsman can spin anything to support his cause.


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## wyogoose (Feb 11, 2006)

I only have one thing to say; MT is the KING of spin on topics!! :withstupid:


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

MT in your twisted little mind that may be the way you see things. Facts as spin, and your spin as facts. Thinking this way will not make it so. How many times have we heard you say Bush lied, had it explained to you that every nation on earth believed their intelligence, only to have you a few days later say Bush lied. You have absolutely no proof just a biased imagination, which is the root of most of your posts.

I sure hope you hang around for the next election, because I could never convince people to vote for a conservative as good as you can.


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

You overlook a few key aspects. These include the facts that

1. Bush wanted to go after Iraq from the outset of his administration.
2. Information was exaggerated and taken from unreliable sources to support this cause. 
3. The administration told lies to ensure that they could fool the nation into war, IE the aluminum tubes that could "only be used for WMDs".


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

None of that is facts MT. Only in the dark recesses of your mind does this resemble anything close to truth. You have absolutely no proof, no one does. This is all made up bull by you, and radicals like you. You simply hate Bush because he defeated you hero. So in return you put character assasination before facts or truth. You sacrifice your own credability.


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

It is sad that you ignore reality becuase it doesn't agree with your political standing.



> The aluminum-tube allegation was perhaps the strongest, most concrete piece of evidence the White House had in its campaign to drive the American public into the proper frame of mind to go to war against a country that had never before been seen as a threat to the national security.
> 
> In a March 2 story, Waas documented how Bush had been explicitly informed that the aluminum-tube allegation might not be true well before his State of the Union Address.
> 
> Yesterday's new twist is that Rove apparently understood that if American voters found out how Bush had intentionally misled them, the election might be lost. He was intent on not letting that happen.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 00879.html



> "He was thinking about invading Iraq in 1999," said author and journalist Mickey Herskowitz. "It was on his mind. He said to me: 'One of the keys to being seen as a great leader is to be seen as a commander-in-chief.' And he said, 'My father had all this political capital built up when he drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait and he wasted it.' He said, 'If I have a chance to invade -- if I had that much capital, I'm not going to waste it. I'm going to get everything passed that I want to get passed and I'm going to have a successful presidency."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/200603 ... N1YmNhdA--



> After weeks of investigation, U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq are increasingly confident that the aluminum tubes were never meant for enriching uranium, according to officials familiar with the inspection process. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N.-chartered nuclear watchdog, reported in a Jan. 8 preliminary assessment that the tubes were "not directly suitable" for uranium enrichment but were "consistent" with making ordinary artillery rockets -- a finding that meshed with Iraq's official explanation for the tubes. New evidence supporting that conclusion has been gathered in recent weeks and will be presented to the U.N. Security Council in a report due to be released on Monday, the officials said.
> 
> Moreover, there were clues from the beginning that should have raised doubts about claims that the tubes were part of a secret Iraqi nuclear weapons program, according to U.S. and international experts on uranium enrichment. The quantity and specifications of the tubes -- narrow, silver cylinders measuring 81 millimeters in diameter and about a meter in length -- made them ill-suited to enrich uranium without extensive modification, the experts said.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dy ... Found=true


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## T3|-| F7U&gt;&lt; C4P4C41 (Mar 22, 2006)

"All Muslim believers believe that, ultimately, Islam will prevail on 
earth. They believe this is the only true religion and there is no room, 
in their mind, for interpretation."

-Humm...that is why Muslims recognize Christians and Jews as "people of the book," right?


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