My life is a weapon

Autori

• Christoph Reuter

Parametri

• Al-Qaeda
• Islamismo
• Jihad
• Saggistica
• Storia

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What kind of people are suicide bombers, and how do they justify their actions? In this meticulously researched and sensitively written work, journalist Christoph Reuter challenges popular perceptions of these individuals as crazed fanatics or brainwashed automatons. Many of these modern-day martyrs are well-educated young adults who willingly turn themselves into human bombs to exact revenge on a perceived oppressive enemy. They seek to make a difference, prioritizing how they will be remembered as heroic figures over religious motivations for a blissful afterlife. Through extensive interviews with would-be martyrs, their trainers, friends, and relatives, Reuter reveals that the bombers are often driven by a desire for recognition rather than religious fervor. His research spans eight years and covers various regions, including the survivors of children's suicide brigades in the Iran-Iraq war, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, as well as Sri Lanka, Chechnya, and Kurdistan. The narrative highlights the globalization of suicide bombing, linked to the Al Qaeda network and exacerbated by misguided Western policies. In a hopeful conclusion, Reuter points to a changing social environment in post-revolutionary Iran, where the practice is now renounced, contrasting its earlier acceptance.

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Lingua: Inglese

Pubblicato: 2004

(Copertina rigida)