The Blood of Martyrs Revitalizes Islam
The reverence in which Muslims hold martyrs is so foreign to Western thinking that it is incomprehensible to Americans. In our Christian culture, the act of martyrdom is more usually an individual choice in which a single person dies for his beliefs, harming only himself. In Islam, martyrdom appears to be a goal in itself, the supreme statement of belief and the heroic path to paradise. The deaths of others are immaterial. If they are practicing Muslims, they too will joyously enter paradise. If they are not Muslims, they are less than human, a blight upon the world and deserving of death.
In Tehran there is a museum to martyrs. Solemn music swirls around displays of war artifacts, mementos from the families of suicide bombers, and tales of heroism meant to inspire the next generation of Iranians. You can read the full article here.
Iranians consider martyrs to be those killed in war or during a violent struggle. Martyrs and their families are held in the highest esteem and "most receive financial benefits from the government for their sacrifice, including housing allowances for parents and widows, free health care and educational stipends for surviving children," writes Kevin Sites who spent a year traveling in Iran. You can read the full article here.
The honor accorded martyrs, the generous benefits to their families, and the high esteem in which martyrs are held has become a siren song to Iran's poor and its conservative Muslims. Exhorted to seek martyrdom by Islamic clerics, young men and women are choosing martyrdom to honor and provide for their families.
In Tehran there is a museum to martyrs. Solemn music swirls around displays of war artifacts, mementos from the families of suicide bombers, and tales of heroism meant to inspire the next generation of Iranians. You can read the full article here.
"In our beliefs and ideology, the shahid [martyr] has the highest value, the highest position in society," said Morteza Alizadeh, museum director.
Iranians consider martyrs to be those killed in war or during a violent struggle. Martyrs and their families are held in the highest esteem and "most receive financial benefits from the government for their sacrifice, including housing allowances for parents and widows, free health care and educational stipends for surviving children," writes Kevin Sites who spent a year traveling in Iran. You can read the full article here.
The honor accorded martyrs, the generous benefits to their families, and the high esteem in which martyrs are held has become a siren song to Iran's poor and its conservative Muslims. Exhorted to seek martyrdom by Islamic clerics, young men and women are choosing martyrdom to honor and provide for their families.
"Martyrdom, for us, is our school, our ideology, our heart and our prayer," said Mullah Hassan Ali Ahangaran, a religious consultant to the Martyr's Museum. "It allows the continuation of Islam. The blood of the martyr revitalizes our religion."
Labels: martyrs, suicide bombers
