# When I Grow Up, I want to be a Suicide Bomber **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2006, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-a-suicide-bomber/352952 "2006-04-17T04:59:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-a-suicide-bomber/352952/1 "2006-04-17T04:59:15Z")
How do suicide-bombers choose their, um, profession? I mean, are they generally recruited by an organization, or do they decide to do it all on their own? I remember a while back hearing something about Saddam Hussein (I think it was Saddam) offering financial compensation to families of suicide bombers. Was this ever proved or disproved? (and was that in Iraq, or Israel/Palestine? I can’t imagine what his connection to Israel would have been though) What other tactics might people employ to egg someone on to such a grave task? I know religious devotion plays a big part, but from a strictly factual standpoint, where do they claim this is supported by their faith? (of course we know not all Muslims are terrorists etc. and this isn’t GD so I just want to know where they are getting their reasoning) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-a-suicide-bomber/352952/2 "2006-04-17T05:19:50Z")
[Unlikely Candidate for Car Bomber: The airport worker enjoyed Hollywood’s club scene. His hand was found chained to the steering wheel in Iraq’s deadliest attack.](http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-suicide15apr15,0,966936.story?coll=la-home-headlines) [IRAN has formed battalions of suicide bombers to strike at British and American targets if the nation’s nuclear sites are attacked. According to Iranian officials, 40,000 trained suicide bombers are ready for action.](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2136638,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-a-suicide-bomber/352952/3 "2006-04-17T15:18:29Z")
Check out: "#1037 - Footage of Saudi Terrorist Abu Mu’awiya Al-Shimali Preparing for Suicide Bombing in Iraq in “[Fatima’s Fiancé](http://www.memritv.org/Favorites.asp)” ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-a-suicide-bomber/352952/4 "2006-04-17T15:25:55Z")
Not a documentary, but try to watch [Paradise Now](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445620/). ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-a-suicide-bomber/352952/5 "2006-04-17T15:30:06Z")
I once watched a wonderful documentary about Palestinian boys who joined “martyr” groups. The culture of these groups is much the same as that of inner-city gangs. Young boys look up to the older boys who are in these groups and often join at very young ages. they are very tight-knit groups, affectionate amongst themselves and with that status structure that appeals to young boys. Those that “martyr” themselves in suicide bombings are treated almost as saints-- posters of them adorn walls. The younger boys long to be “heros” like them. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/57b2e6/32.png) [@Quasimodal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodal)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-a-suicide-bomber/352952/6 "2006-04-17T16:39:54Z")
Another good film on the matter is The Terrorist ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-a-suicide-bomber/352952/7 "2006-04-17T18:54:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Saddam Hussein diverted money from the U.N. oil-for-food program to pay millions of dollars to families of Palestinian suicide bombers who carried out attacks on Israel, say congressional investigators who uncovered evidence of the money trail. [http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/middleeastreports/s\_273762.html](http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/middleeastreports/s_273762.html) Googling “suicide bombers” and “money” turns up cites that other Arab countries also compensated families. ---
**Author:** ![Alistair\_McCello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Alistair\_McCello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alistair_McCello)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-a-suicide-bomber/352952/8 "2006-04-17T21:12:47Z")
> [@](#): > > How do suicide-bombers choose their, um, profession? I mean, are they generally recruited by an organization, or do they decide to do it all on their own? One of the more disturbing methods of ‘recruitment’ I have ever heard of was (I think) used by the Chechnyan Black Widows. They woudl kidnapp an entire family and begin to torture them. Then they would release the daughter and tell her that she had to go blow herself up at some target. If she complied her family would be released, if not they would be tortured to death. It took some time before they were able to track down the group because there was never any connection between the bombers and it wasn’t until one woman walked into a police station and told the cops that she had a bomb strapped to her against her will. The more I think about it the more I think that I am wrong attributing this to the Black Widows, can anyone correct me here? ---
**Author:** ![Alistair\_McCello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Alistair\_McCello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alistair_McCello)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-a-suicide-bomber/352952/9 "2006-04-17T21:14:31Z")
Preview, preview, preview :smack: That should read: it wasn’t until one woman walked into a police station and told the cops that she had a bomb strapped to her against her will that they were able to effectively stop this tactic. ---
**Author:** ![No\_longer\_shall\_I\_lurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9e8a1a/32.png) [@No\_longer\_shall\_I\_lurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_longer_shall_I_lurk)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-a-suicide-bomber/352952/10 "2006-04-17T22:28:17Z")
> [@Alistair McCello](#): > > Preview, preview, preview :smack: > > That should read: > > it wasn’t until one woman walked into a police station and told the cops that she had a bomb strapped to her against her will that they were able to effectively stop this tactic. I have the vaguest feeling that was the Tamil Tigers ---
**Author:** ![Alistair\_McCello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Alistair\_McCello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alistair_McCello)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-a-suicide-bomber/352952/11 "2006-04-18T01:02:23Z")
> [@](#): > > I have the vaguest feeling that was the Tamil Tigers Perhaps, but I thought that the LTTE relied solely on young recruitment. They go into schools (some of them run by the Tigers IIRC) and entice kids to join through the draw of elitism. Once they join they are conditioned over years of training which is why, unlike any other common suicide bombing model, they can act as sleeper agents. Though they could have used the kidnapping method at some point as well. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-i-grow-up-i-want-to-be-a-suicide-bomber/352952/12 "2006-04-18T01:50:42Z")
> [@Crandolph](#): > > Preparing for Suicide Bombing “Pay attention, class; I’m only going to show you this once…”