Customer Reviews

Suicide Bombers in Iraq: The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom

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Professor of political science Mohammed M. Hafez presents Suicide Bombers in Iraq: The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom, a scholarly evaluation of the all-too-real cruelty and tragedy of suicide bombing in Iraq. Suicide bombings in Iraq appear to be perpetrated largely by non-Iraqi volunteers from Saudi Arabia, Europe, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, and North Africa, and the targets are generally either Iraqi security forces and Shia civilians rather than coalition forces. Suicide Bombers in Iraq meticulously dissects and deconstructs the methodologies used to justify suicide bombing and the sectarian equivalent of ethnic cleansing, and adds to the search for means to stem the tide of such attacks. In addition to current strategies, Professor Hafez also recommends a drive to delegitimize suicide bombings, directly attacking the ideological, theological, and other justifications that the masterminds of suicide bombings rely upon to recruit volunteers. Suicide Bombers in Iraq is entirely free of illusions - whether positive or negative - about the Iraq occupation, absolute "must-read" for anyone concerned about the future of Iraq.

Professor Hafez breaks down the complex system of Iraq and the insurgency there into a very readable and well organized analysis. I have read almost every book out there on suicide bombers and political violence and this is my favorite since the author takes the reader through a systematic understanding of the motivations behind the suicide bombers.

Others have praised this book, and so do I. What I really liked about this book was the very detailed analysis that the author undertook in explaining the suicidal-martyr philosophy of the Salafis movement. The author hasn't just read two or three other books about Baathist terrorism and summarized them. One can tell from the in-depth analysis here that the author has sunk his hands deeply into the statistics-data pile in explaining whether the various suicide bombers are local or originate elsewhere. Before I read this book, I thought I pretty well understood the jihadist Salafi movement, but this book greatly enhanced my understanding. As the author reads Arabic, this enhances his understanding in how to explain the nuances of Salafism that most western pseudo-terrorists analysts can't research and thereby can't explain. Even if this book didn't discuss the Iraqi suicide-bombers, it would be worthwhile in reading just for its clear analysis of the theology of the jihadist Salafi suicide martyrs (and not just in Iraq, but throughout the Middle East).

Although is a great book right now might be update regarding to some attacks that are portrayed in the news as suicide bombers while there weren't really volunteers. Examples, such as mental disable people or kids and so forth. The author track foreing insurgents networks from Europe, North Africa and The Middle East with personal names, origin, attack, and organization.