The Myth of Martyrdom

A fierce attack on the view that suicide terrorists are true martyrs to a cause, worthy of respect or honor because of their commitment. - Kirkus Reviews In The Myth of Martyrdom, Adam Lankford demonstrates that suicide-murderers who call themselves martyrs are actually suicidal. Like many important ideas, this one seems utterly obvious once someone presents the overwhelming evidence and makes the compelling argument. As Lankford shows, terrorists are motivated by a lot more than the ideologies they espouse - including their emotions. In short, terrorists are people. A critically important contribution to the literature and, one hopes, to our counter-terrorism. - Jessica Stern, former Director of Russian Affairs, National Security Council, and author of Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill A provocative and eye-opening look at the psychological forces that drive suicide terrorists to seek their own destruction. - Peter Langman, author of Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters A lively, insightful, and evidence-based analysis of the most disruptive phenomenon in world affairs today. Adam Lankford challenges the conventional wisdom about suicide terrorism in a way that respects the facts, resolves the paradox (with profound implications for many other issues), and not least, de-romanticizes this loathsome practice. - Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined 'Revealing long overlooked truths about suicide terrorists, Adam Lankford offers a compelling and provocative account, profoundly challenging conventional wisdom. Anyone who wants to fully understand the threat we face must read this powerful book.' - Ken Ballen, author of Terrorists in Love: True Life Stories of Islamic Radicals 'At last an insightful book about martyrdom and suicide bombers. Too many so-called experts have dominated the stage without ever examining the life of a suicide bomber. Lankford, in a thorough and in-depth study, has identified the trauma, chronic depression and suicidal behavior that characterize their lives. This is a fascinating book with profound implications.'-David Lester, past president of the International Association for Suicide Prevention A coherent, must read for all who would claim to be experts in terrorism-or just curious. Dr. Lankford's analytic rigor and willingness to examine assumptions make this a textbook example of how to do research and analysis. His conclusions? Suicidal martyrs are not heroes to be admired, but sick people to be pitied. Those who direct them are nothing more than evil. As Keynes once wrote: 'When someone persuades me I am wrong; I change my mind.' What will you do? -Jim Simon, former Asst. Director of Central Intelligence for Administration, Central Intelligence Agency, and Chair, Homeland Security Intelligence Council More than a decade after the 9/11 attack, scholars and commentators are still offering alternative explanations as to why the plotters were willing to commit suicide. Were they heroic martyrs so dedicated to cause of Islamic Jihad that they were willing to die? Or were they so mentally unbalanced that they wanted to die because their lives had become too depressing, too much filled with anxiety and failure? Adam Lankford explores these hypotheses, not only as they apply to the 9/11 plotters, but also to school shooters, airplane hijackers, lone wolf bombers and the like. In a must-read book for those interested in these issues, he makes the case for the second hypothesis. He provides a benchmark that others will have to consider as they seek to reach their own conclusions. - Donald Daniel, security studies professor, Georgetown University, and former Special Adviser to the Chairman, National Intelligence Council