Suicide Bombing: The Verstehen Approach



Suicide Bombing: The Verstehen Approach

Introduction

When it comes to Muslim persecution, suppression and terrorism, Palestine is one of the first countries that come to mind. The Palestinians have been in a continual conflict with Israelis for decades and unfortunately, a resolution to the said conflict is nowhere in sight. To this day, Palestine is impoverished and cramped; quality of life quite literally involves only surviving from day to day. For this very reason, a select group of individuals have turned to more extreme measures in an effort to solidify their nation's presence in the region. This includes terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the infamous Al Qaeda. Groups such as these have brainwashed the youth and convinced them that aiming weapons at every individual that opposes their ideology and exploding themselves in crowded cities all over the world will undoubtedly bring about a world revolution and grant them the freedom they deserve; both in the light of the world and God himself. The purpose of this paper is to take a closer look at suicide bombing using Emile Durkheim's definitions of suicide. The paper also looks at whether or not Islam justifies suicide bombing and concludes using the Verstehen approach to analyze why, or how, an individual might be recruited into the world of terrorism.

Discussion

First, it must be noted that Emile Durkheim's reasoning did not look into the conditions or circumstances that can be found in an individual. Durkheim's reasoning was primarily focused towards the social and environmental contexts and was explained as suicide being a societal phenomenon. According to Durkheim, social integration and the specific social regulations of the said society played a vital role in pushing an individual towards suicide. Egoistic suicide is said to be a result of the absence of societal integration; the ...