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| Martyrs memorial in Tahrir |
Christian martyrs were those who died for their beliefs, according to Christian history. These martyrs have been the substance of many tales about those professing belief in Jesus going to their deaths on crosses, in the den of lions and in other terrifying ways. Death by the sword in battle as a form of martyrdom is seen somewhat differently in Christian belief and behavior where conflict is concerned.
The martyrs fought for Christ in the Crusades but protected their lives, not wantonly giving them up as a tactic in order to seek heaven's rewards. They were, however, told by the Church they would receive God's blessing if they lost their lives in the service of promoting the faith by fighting the infidel. Pope Urban is quoted as saying this, "God himself will lead them, for they will be doing His work. There will be absolution and remission of sins for all who die in the service of Christ. Here they are poor and miserable sinners; there they will be rich and happy. Let none hesitate; they must march next summer. God wills it! "
Martyrdom as part of political life presents complex problems in conflicts. Martyrs who don't fear death are able to take chances beyond those of ordinary folk, as demonstrated, for example, by the Japanese Kamikazes during World War II who purposefully destroyed themselves and their aircraft in fighting the enemy. Martyrs who are willing to sacrifice themselves for political freedom take similar risks, which is the difficulty faced in the Middle East as groups struggle for new freedoms. Some writers parallel Japanese Kamikazes with suicide bombers in the Middle East. On the other hand, Kamikazes were directed by the government of Japan as part of military planning rather than martyrdom being part of special factions within the government, as most occurs in Islam and that can be aimed at their own governments.
According to experts, martyrdom is associated with the whole of Islam. Complete obedience and submission to Allah's will means a fearless sacrifice in pursuit of religious doctrine for dealing with events in a cross section of circumstances. This includes civil conflict and war between nations as well.
The concept in Islam of martyrdom is called shahada. Experts on Islam tell us "the word shahada is derived from the Arabic verbal root shahada, which means to 'see', to 'witness', to 'testify', to 'become a model and paradigm'. Shahada therefore literally means to 'see', to 'witness', and to 'become a model'. A shahid is the person who sees and witnesses, and he is therefore the witness, as if the martyr witnesses and sees the truth physically and thus stands by it firmly, so much so that not only does he testify it verbally, but he is prepared to struggle and fight and give up his life for the truth, and thus to become a martyr. In this way, and by his struggle and sacrifice for the sake of the truth, he become a model, a paradigm, and an example for others, worthy of being copied, and worthy of being followed. "
The events in North Africa and the Middle East, where Muslims are seen setting themselves on fire or placing ticking bombs on their bodies set to explode and kill others in order to testify to their beliefs and what they see as truth, follow Islamic tradition, as martyrs become models for building groups and solidarity in action. It is the very soul of their faith, according to history's context, and for that reason can bring special problems to adversaries, both within individual governments and in international conflicts.
It is that concept of martyrdom infused with a combination of political and religious belief that is part of the ISIS terrorism strength, as they continue to expand their aims with individuals and groups. But the notion is not only that of Islam, It is part of religious traditions that in the modern world can create problems far beyond the tribe and are therefore what experts tell us need to be understood and defused if international understanding and true peace can be established.
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Carol Forsloff, writer of this article, was the first female student in the Middle Eastern Studies department at Portland State College, now Portland State University, in 1960, studying both the languages of Arabic and Hebrew as part of a program of studies in preparation for work as a journalist in that area of the world. Although that career did not materialize, Carol has continued her interest and studies of the Middle East through reading and interaction with various groups over five decades since her tenure at Portland State in an effort to understand the events that occur in the region and to report those events in a meaningful way.
