"The guy with the suicide vest on isn't thinking about politics, he's thinking about paradise"
I think that this is an important distinction to make. There is a common argument that terrorism is more politically than religiously motivated. While there is certainly a political element to terrorism, as I’m sure guys in charge like Osama Bin Laden or Ayman al Zawahiri are using jihad for political means, it would be nothing but hot air without the religious backing to grease the wheels of the machine. The men and women who are detonating themselves in crowded places are not doing so for political gain. These people are blowing themselves up because they believe their respective god wants them to and will reward them greatly for such a vile deed.
If there were no scriptural support for martyrdom there would be no suicide attacks. Jihad may be a political tool, but it would not exist without the already prevalent irrationality inherent in religion. And let’s not forget the suicidal attacks on abortion clinics and the many religiously motivated militia attacks that have been thwarted here in the United States. Conversely, I seriously doubt we ever see an atheist commit a suicide bombing.
