Paradise through Martyrdom
By
definition, a martyr is an individual who sacrifices his/her own life
or is persecuted and killed for the sake of an ideology that one strongly
believes in. Islam encourages martyrdom as an effort to further its
jihad (struggle) against unbelievers and pronounces that any Muslim
who dies in battle for the cause of “Allah” will receive great honor
and eternal rewards in "Paradise." The Muslim men who hijacked and
crashed the four passenger jets on that fateful day of 9/11/01 carried
out their mission with the thought that they would immediately enter
paradise upon their death.
Television news video even captured
the jubilant reaction of Muslims in the Middle East as they claimed
victory for their side and gave "praises" to Allah when they heard
that the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York had been
destroyed, taking the lives of more than two thousand innocent civilians.
Young Muslim men and women who partake in suicide bombings do so with
the intent of becoming martyrs, encouraged by the fact that Islamic
governments will give substantial monetary compensation to their families
as a reward for their actions. Shortly after 9/11, some Islamic groups
in the Middle East went as far as to conduct fund raising telethons
to raise money for the families of those suicide bombers who died
for their cause.
Reportedly, Saudi Arabia and Iraq were such
financial contributors. A better term for this type of fund
raising effort should be "Terror-thon," since Islam's ideology is
to strike terror into the hearts of their enemy, even by way of martyrdom.
What Muslim clerics may not comprehend, however, is that they are
actually making martyrs of the innocent victims who have been persecuted
and killed through suicide bombing. After all, were not the victims
killed for an ideology that they believed in? Martyrdom suddenly becomes
a two-way street as the Muslim and the victim become martyrs in their
own cause. This chapter will reveal the Islamic teachings from the
Qur'an and the Ahadith (sayings of Muhammad) that entice and encourage
Muslim followers to disregard the value of human life and become martyrs
for a cause they believe is truthful.
Topic Continues;
Next 3 Pages