The Motivation of a Suicide Terrorist
On September 11, when it dawn on me that what had happened was men had deliberately slammed planes into the World Trade Center towers and into the Pentagon, I immediately had one burning question, “What would motivate someone to want to kill innocent people enough, that they would kill themselves to do it?” It didn’t take long to figure it out. The following Sunday, I included this question in my message. Since then notes left by the terrorist have been found that prove my suspicion was correct.
What inspired this unspeakable evil was religion! Not all Arabs or all Muslims are guilty, but an extreme form of militant Islam teaches martyrs go to heaven. A letter the suicide terrorist left behind reveals their motivation. It says, “You are embarking upon a mission that God is pleased with and you will be rewarded by living with the inhabitants of heaven. Smile to hardship O youth, because you are on your way to Paradise!”
The half has not been told. According to some Muslims, a true martyr can expect to be greatly rewarded. In 1999 Sheik Abd Al-Salam Skheidm said,
“From the moment his first drop of blood spills, he feels no pain and he is absolved of all his sins; he sees his seat in heaven; he is spared the tortures of the grave; he is spared the horrors of the Day of judgment; he is married to 70 blacked-eyed women; he can vouch for 70 of his family members to enter paradise; he earns the crown of glory, whose precious stone is worth all of this world” (Mona Charen, “Palestinians’ Sheer Hatred Blocks Peace.” Daily News August 20, 2001, p. 13).
That is the religious teaching that motivated the suicide attack on America. Religion kills! Some religions kill physically (extreme Islam, Heaven’s Gate, Jim Jones, etc); all religion kills spiritually. Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves” (Mt. 23:15).
Speaking of Religionist, Paul wrote, “Beware of Dogs” (Phil. 3:2). As for his own religion, he said that he had “no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3), so he counted his religion as “rubbish” (Phil. 3:8). The Greek word translated “rubbish” was used of leftover food, which was thrown away and it was also used of excrement (Lightfoot). Religion is garbage; dump it!
It’s not religion; it’s a relationship, a relationship with Jesus Christ. Religion is death; a relationship with Jesus Christ is life (Jn. 17:3). Paul dumped religion for a relationship with Christ (Phil. 3:8-10), an advisable move for all.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 10/2/2001
What inspired this unspeakable evil was religion! Not all Arabs or all Muslims are guilty, but an extreme form of militant Islam teaches martyrs go to heaven. A letter the suicide terrorist left behind reveals their motivation. It says, “You are embarking upon a mission that God is pleased with and you will be rewarded by living with the inhabitants of heaven. Smile to hardship O youth, because you are on your way to Paradise!”
The half has not been told. According to some Muslims, a true martyr can expect to be greatly rewarded. In 1999 Sheik Abd Al-Salam Skheidm said,
“From the moment his first drop of blood spills, he feels no pain and he is absolved of all his sins; he sees his seat in heaven; he is spared the tortures of the grave; he is spared the horrors of the Day of judgment; he is married to 70 blacked-eyed women; he can vouch for 70 of his family members to enter paradise; he earns the crown of glory, whose precious stone is worth all of this world” (Mona Charen, “Palestinians’ Sheer Hatred Blocks Peace.” Daily News August 20, 2001, p. 13).
That is the religious teaching that motivated the suicide attack on America. Religion kills! Some religions kill physically (extreme Islam, Heaven’s Gate, Jim Jones, etc); all religion kills spiritually. Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves” (Mt. 23:15).
Speaking of Religionist, Paul wrote, “Beware of Dogs” (Phil. 3:2). As for his own religion, he said that he had “no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3), so he counted his religion as “rubbish” (Phil. 3:8). The Greek word translated “rubbish” was used of leftover food, which was thrown away and it was also used of excrement (Lightfoot). Religion is garbage; dump it!
It’s not religion; it’s a relationship, a relationship with Jesus Christ. Religion is death; a relationship with Jesus Christ is life (Jn. 17:3). Paul dumped religion for a relationship with Christ (Phil. 3:8-10), an advisable move for all.
© G. Michael Cocoris, 10/2/2001