Analysis of Suicide Attacks

Suicide Bombing

World has seen unprecedented violence and destruction due to different reasons. World Wars fought in the earlier half of the 20th century are clear evidence of the fact that human lives were lost in millions. At the end of WWII, the western powers decided to form an organization called as The United Nations to settle disputes peacefully and not to interfere in the affairs of sovereign states. It was decided that Europe will not be the theatre of war in the future. This gave a platform to the subject people of the western imperialist powers like France and Great Britain to strive for their independence and most of them succeeded in achieving it. It resulted in changing boundaries of different states resulting in injustice for some people like in the case of Palestine. This injustice due to several reasons resulted in discontent for people and they could not get their rights recognized by big states. A type of neo-imperialism continued by US and Soviet Union fighting proxy wars and manipulating smaller states. The discontented people resorted to different means to achieve their objectives primarily violence and terror.

-What is a Suicide Attack?

It is a type of an attack in which and attacker kills several people by blowing himself or herself up mostly in a public place in order to cause maximum damage. A normal practice seen in different parts of the world these days is that the attacker wears a belt with explosive material under his clothes. On reaching the target place, he blows himself up and in the process killing other people as well.

-Origins

The origin of these attacks can be traced back as far as possible in history as they existed in one or other form. A clear evidence of this in recent times is Kamikaze Attack of Japanese pilots on US Forces in Pearl Harbour. This was again tried by members of LTTE in Sri Lanka against the Sri Lankan forces and other cities under central control. Palestinians also used it against stronger Israeli forces in order to cause havoc which they could not cause by fighting due to stronger army of Israel and foreign support. Suicide attack has been a pervasive phenomena in Pakistan after US invasion of Afghanistan. They started against the Coalition Forces in Afghanistan as Taliban could not match the military strength of the invading forces. It spilled into Pakistan due to Taliban's anger over Pakistan's support of US War on Terror. It continues to destroy different places from Masjids to Shopping Arcades. It has caused huge damages in terms of human losses as well as damage to public and private property.

-Causes

Before we debate the damage it has caused to the socio-economic fabric of the country under attack, it is pertinent that we discuss the causes of suicide attacks. What reason can be so motivational that it makes a person ready to kill himself for that cause. Since Pakistan is the country which has suffered from more suicide attacks than any other country (i.e. Iraq and Afghanistan), I will discuss it keeping in view Pakistan. These reasons are true for the most extant for other countries as well. After studying such attacks in different parts of the world, the underlying causes that we discover are as follows.

1. Social Injustice

It might sound like an irrelevant cause for a man to kill himself but if you live in one of the most backward places of a Third World country, it becomes relevant. After studying the profiles of people who volunteer for suicide attacks, it becomes evident that they come from one of the most neglected area of the country. In Pakistan, FATA(Federally Administered Tribal Areas) are one of the most neglected areas of the country. They were managed by a Political Agent during British times according to draconian Frontier Crimes Regulations or FCR. The practice continues to this day as the state fails to integrate this part of the country with the rest. This makes it a safe haven for terrorists as Washington continually stresses but the problem lies on the part of US and Pakistan policies. US cannot be blamed for neglect since they used these people during Afghan Jihad against Soviet Russia by inciting religious sentiments but Pakistan definitely deserves to be blamed for this. These people are deprived of all the facilities of life and are allocated a small quota in jobs. Literacy rates around here are abysmally low especially in women. Tribal system continues to this day and these people can hardly distinguish between them and their brethren on the other side of the borders. The reason we are discussing this is that almost all the suicide attackers used to this day comes from different parts of FATA or other Tribal areas. These are people who have had little education due to state neglect and could not distinguish between right and wrong.

2. Religious Fanaticism

British officers who served in the tribal areas observed that Pathan tribes are eternally at war among themselves. What unites them is their devotion to their religion Islam and they can be made to do anything by inciting this sentiment. This was seen in these people's resistance to Soviet invasion in 1980s when US and Pakistan Army used it to make these people fight as a strong militia. How these sentiments are incited is a question that can easily be answered by studying some of the tapes released by these terrorist organization highlighting their training techniques. They have benefited from Aristotle's concept of Tabula Rasa (blank slate) since they pick young men in their early teens as it very easy to prepare them to die for a holy cause. They play different songs urging them to fight for their lost land and push invaders out. They are told they will go straight to heaven and this is the easiest deal they have got from God.

3. Illiteracy

This is an extension of the first point as these people have continuously been neglected in every sector. It is true that education enlightens the mind and soul. These people lack in this area as government has paid little attention in this sector. While our defence budget has been on the increase, what suffered as a result has been the spending on education. This vacuum was filled by Madressahs (religious institutions) which stress on religious education only. Madressahs have been a key pillar of an Islamic society and its contributions have been remarkable. The negative side to this is that over the years, there has been a desegregation of secular and religious education. These Madressahs are run by Mullahs who are only learned in religous education. With the emergence of different sects, different conflicting schools of thought have emerged. There are some who have declared suicide bombings legitimate in Islam while others who happen to be a much bigger number have unequivocally denounced it. So, what is needed is that the world makes sure that these fragile parts of the world become literate according to UN's Millennium Development Goals. There is need for one agreed upon syllabus for people from Himalayas to Gwadar in Pakistan.

There are many other reasons but some of the main ones are those discussed below. Nationalism can be a strong force as seen in case of Kamikaze pilots and Pakistani soldiers' suicide attacks in wars against India.

How to stop suicide attacks?

This is a million dollar question that today's well equipped Armed Forces fail to answer. Can we stop it by constructing high walls or bullet proof vehicles? We might be able to reduce damage but when a person is ready to kill himself, you cannot predict or stop him from causing some damage. So, like any other problem, the remedy lies in solution to the reasons that has caused it. Temporary solutions are not durable as they can go on for decades. They do not need a big force to strike against US in Iraq or Afghanistan because a few hundred suicide bombers can cause much havoc. But the occupation forces cannot continue with their occupation for years for providing 'security' when the people do not want them. Eventually they will be at loss due to war fatigue and questions would be raised about it home. A long essay could be written on ways to stop them by different means but a simple answer to this complicated question is addressing the root causes of this problem.