Understanding suicide terrorism: Richard Jackson argues that terrorism cannot be attributed solely to religious extremism, hatred or mental illness.

• Author: Jackson, Richard

Suicide terrorism may be new to the United Kingdom, but it has been a part of terrorist strategy and insurgency war for centuries. As a tactic, it was first used by Russian anarchists at the start of the 20th century; since 1981, around 30 different groups--some secular, some religious--have carried out over 500 suicide attacks. The Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka pioneered the use of suicide terrorism as a tactic, and have carried out the greatest number of suicide attacks as part of their nationalist struggle.

Unfortunately, the phenomenon of suicide terrorism remains relatively trader-studied. What is known, however, is that it cannot be attributed solely to religious extremism, hatred or mental illness. Religion is only a factor in a very few cases of suicide terrorism around the world, and even in these instances, religious extremism is almost never the sole cause. After all, there are many extremists and fanatics in virtually every religion, most of whom will never engage in any form of violence. Not only this, but extreme religious sects have existed for hundreds of years, whereas suicide terrorism is a distinctly modern phenomenon--most attacks have taken place since the 1980s. Nor is suicide terrorism the result of religious brainwashing; in places like Palestine, there are many more volunteers for suicide missions than the terrorist groups require.

Interestingly, studies of suicide bombers and terrorists reveal that they are almost never motivated primarily by hatred for their victims. In actual fact, many suicide bombers are motivated by more altruistic aims, such as sacrifice for their comrades and their community, or a belief that they are fighting for a good cause. The disturbing reality is that most suicide bombers are psychologically normal in clinical terms, possessing no common profile and being indistinguishable from ordinary people in their everyday lives.

Tactical advantages

If suicide terrorists are not driven by fanaticism, hatred or insanity, how do we understand their morally repugnant actions? From the perspective of the terrorist leadership, suicide attacks offer tremendous tactical advantages against what is always an infinitely superior enemy. Such attacks are virtually impossible to deter--you cannot threaten a person already willing to die. They also cause the maximum amount of fear and anxiety in the targeted society because there is no foolproof defence against single individuals with explosives strapped to their...