On Thu, 20 Sep 2001, jim clark wrote:
>
> The article referred to, posted originally by Wayne Spencer,
> sought to discredit Dawkins' argument with (a) evidence that the
> Tamil were responsible for most suicide bombings, and (b) the
> claim that the Tamil were a secular organization. Is (b)
> correct? A google search raises doubts in my mind.
I was very interested in Jeff Ricker's post pointing out that the
Tiger Tamils are the world's leading exponent of suicide bombing,
and astounded at the claim that they are a secular movement. Like
Jim, I doubted it, and began my own web search. Unlike Jim,
however, I was forced to the reluctant conclusion that Spencer
was probably right.
One site I accessed was a long, authoritative article by Peter
Schalk at a site called "Tamil Canadian" (at
http://www.tamilcanadian.com/eelam/maaveerar/ps1.html),
originally published in Temenos (33, 1997, 151-190), a Nordic
journal of comparative religion. He describes the Tamil as
advocating a "cult of martyrs" which, on first reading, seemed to
suggest a religious movement. But by the time I got halfway
through composing a note to TIPS detailing what he said, I
changed my mind. What he describes is a cult with religious
features but not a religion. In fact, they apparently
specifically discourage associating their movement with any
particular religion in order not to alienate their supporters,
who, according to Schalk are "Caivas or Christians ". Schalk
himself describes the Tamil Tigers as "not a religious movement
with political aspirations but a political movement with
religious aspirations".
A less ambiguous answer to the question is in an article titled
"Rational Fanatics" by Ehud Sprinzak (at
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/issue_SeptOct_2001/sprinzak.html),
originally published in _Foreign Policy, Sept/Oct 2000). He
provides an informative analysis of suicide bombing, and argues:
"The Black Tigers [Tamil Tigers] constitute the most significant
proof that suicide terrorism is not merely a religious phenomenon
and that under certain extreme political and psychological
circumstances secular volunteers are fully capable of martyrdom.
The Tamil suicide bombers are not the product of a religious
cult, but rather a cult of personality".
That opinion clearly supports Wayne Spencer's contention.
-Stephen
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Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661
Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Lennoxville, QC
J1M 1Z7
Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at:
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