when i was venting my frustrations on suicide bombing on june 6, i started to wonder who got the crazy idea to blow himself up in the first place. the 100-hour board came through for me. here's the Q&A:
Q Dear 100 Hour Board,
When did suicide bombings start? When was the first one, and when did they become popular among the people who continue the practice today?
-- all-encompassingly.comA Dear all-encompassingly.com,
Suicide ATTACKS have been occurring for centuries, all the way back to the 11th century when a Persian group called the Assassins performed suicide attacks on neighboring fortresses. Similar attacks have continued throughout the centuries, most notably by Japanese kamikaze fighters in World War II.As for suicide bombings, one source I found says that suicide bombings occurred as far back as the 19th century in national struggles in Europe and Russia. The first major reports of specifically planned suicide bombings that I found occurred in Lebanon in the early 1980s. For instance, in 1983, a suicide bomber driving a truck killed 241 U.S. military personnel.
On May 21, 1991, former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was killed in a suicide bombing attack by a woman who strapped a bomb around her waist.
Of course, Israel is the most well-known location of suicide bombings, though until quite recently, more suicide bombings actually occurred in Sri Lanka. Bombings in Israel began occurring in the early 1990s. The first documented suicide bombing in Israel, according to Time magazine, took place on April 16, 1993, when 22-year-old Sahar Tamam Nabulsi loaded a Mitsubishi van with cooking-gas canisters, placed a Koran on the passenger seat, and careened into two buses, killing himself, another Palestinian, and injuring 8 Israelis (Jews).
According to Israeli government sources, around 70 Palestinian suicide bombings took place between 1993 and 2001, and around 70 bombings have taken place since September 2000 (the time when the most recent Intifada began after Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount).
As for the popularity of suicide bombings among "the people who practice it today," I'll assume you're referring to Palestinians. If you're really interested in this topic and terrorism in general, I'd suggest you read "Arab and Jew," a Pulitzer-Prize winning book by David Shipler. It has an excellent chapter on terrorism and how it is viewed by both Jews and Palestinians.
You might also try reading Time magazine's article "Why Suicide Bombing Is All the Rage" (4/16/93) or viewing the documentary "Human Weapons," a history of suicide bombings, if you can find it.
-- Marian the Librarian
thanks, marian. also of note on the board are 35 things to do on a term paper you don't care about. some of my favorites are:
Support your thesis with quotes from your VCR manual.
Hand in a letter you wrote to your cousin. When the teacher confronts you about it, say that you must have gotten the letter and the paper mixed up. Say that you'll turn the paper in as soon as you get it back, but your cousin lives in Siberia, so it might take a while. (This is a nifty way to get an extension.)
Poke several holes in the paper. Say that you were mobbed by crows on the way to class.
On the day the paper is due, skip into class, waving your essay and screaming, "I have a paper! I have a paper!". Run around the class a few times, then joyfully throw it out the window. Laugh and yell, "There's my paper!", then run outside to get it. Repeat this all through the period, or until the professor throws you out.
Posted by travis at June 10, 2003 05:13 PM | TrackBack