Reem Raiyshi, a Hamas suicide bomber/martyr, posing with Qur'an before her mission. She
blew herself up at the major border crossing point between Israel and
the Gaza Strip, on Jan. 14, 2004, killing herself and four Israelis
Does Islam condone suicide / martyrdom attacks?
PRO (yes)
CON (no)
Hamas, in an article posted on its website (accessed Apr. 1, 2004) titled "Martyrdom Operation in Islam," stated:
"Despite the attempts to discredit Martyrdom Operations by the
modernists, by those who seek to pacify and tame Islam, and by those
who ally themselves with the infidels, it is clear that martyrdom
operations are justified and lawful, according to Islam."
Abdel-Samie Mahmoud Ibrahim Moussa, head of the Grand Mosque of Rome, was quoted in a June 10, 2003 World Net Daily article titled "Rome Imam: Destroy Islam's Enemies":
"From an Islamic viewpoint there is no doubt that the operations of the
mujahedin [Muslim fighter] against the Jews in Palestine are
legitimate. They are missions of martyrdom and those who commit them
are martyrs of Islam because all Palestine is a 'Dar al-harb,' a
territory of war."
Sheik Hamed Al-Bitawi, head of the Palestinian Islamic Scholars Association, was quoted by Al-Hayat on Apr. 5, 2001, and translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute:
"If infidels conquer even an inch of the Muslims' land, as happened
with the occupation of Palestine by the Jews, then Jihad becomes an
individual duty, and therefore, suicide attacks are permissible."
Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti (Islamic judge who can issue a fatwa -- legal pronouncement), as quoted in an Apr. 25, 2001 Gulf News article titled "Suicide bombings are un-Islamic, says Grand Mufti":
"He who blows himself up to attack enemies is also performing an act
contrary to Islamic teachings. These acts are clearly not Islamic, and
whoever chooses to commit them is a non-believer."
TheTrueReligion.org, an Islamic educational website, in an Oct. 1998 article titled "Islam - A Religion of Terror?" posted the following:
"Unfortunately
many Muslims have taken suicide bombing as being a virtuous act by
which one receives reward. This could not be further from the truth.
The Prophet (saws) said: 'Those who go to extremes are destroyed'.
Suicide bombing is undoubtedly an extremity which has reached the ranks
of the Muslims. In the rules of warfare, we find no sanction for such
an act from the behavior and words of the Prophet Muhammed (saws) and
his companions."
