> by one group. It looks like use or non-use of
> violence is determined more by
> culture than by any religious belief or teaching. I
> don't think Koran says that
> by committing suicide one can go to heaven (what is
> that?).
What the Jihadis do is not interpreted as suicide - it
is interpreted as martyrdom in the name of Islam.
Koran does say that when you achieve martyrdom (and
many in the Muslim world say it is martyrdom when you
bomb yourself out in the middle of children), you DO
go to heaven. Not only that, you get the services of
40 (I think) beautiful virgins when you go to heaven.
The only thing "interpretable" is how you define
martyrdom. Almost all through its history, one area
martyrdom has been clearly defined is when fighting
against unbelievers. Suicide bombings against
Americans, Jews, Hindus, other pagans etc. would fall
into that category.
In fact the use of excessive violence through most of
history was inspired by religious belief or teaching.
The Arabs were harmless desert dwelling folks till the
urge to spread Islam made them spread far and wide and
bring unspeakable terror to many regions of the world
including the killing of 50,000 people in the doors of
Sind. The creation of the new world (and significant
damage to the local heathen population) was done on
the basis of Christianity. And much earlier in history
even the spread of Persian empire started when
Zarathustra (Zoraster) energised Persian religion and
enthused great Persian kings to take the fight between
good and evil to all corners of the world.
Culture and religion are not compartmentalized
entities - they share space and shape each other on a
continual basis. Religion shapes, and is shaped by,
events happening around.
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