Researcher: Suicide bombers motivated by...suicide

Gee, whaddya know?  Sometimes the simple answer is the correct answer.  According to Lankford's research:

Far from being psychologically normal, suicide terrorists are suicidal. They kill themselves to escape crises or unbearable pain. Until we recognise this, attempts to stop the attacks are doomed to fail.

But what about what failed suicide bombers say was their motivation?  They lie, according to Lankford, especially Muslims, and their families are eager to believe them:

Traumatised parents want to believe that their children were motivated by heroic impulses. And suicidal people commonly deny that they are suicidal and are often able to hide their true feelings from the world.

This is especially true of fundamentalist Muslims. Suicide is explicitly condemned in Islam and guarantees an eternity in hell. Martyrs, on the other hand, can go to heaven.

So let's put the myth of the sober-minded suicide terrorist in the "They hate us for our freedom," category of self-serving fairy tales that don't make us any safer.

Martyr myth: Inside the minds of suicide bombers

By Adam Lankford

July 8, 2013 | New Scientist

URL: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21929240.200