Martyrdom and September 11th

On September the 11th 2001, the international crisis of terrorism exploded in

America. The dark cloud that loomed over lower Manhattan eventually cleared but

the reality of the American entrance into the battlefield of terror didn’t dissipate.

When President Bush addressed his stunned and grieving nation, he declared a

crusade on terrorists and all who harbored them, and “when [his] remarks were

translated into Arabic for broadcast throughout the Middle East, the word crusade

was rendered as ‘war of the cross’” (Carrol 5). This religious reference rang true to

those terrorists who had attacked the World Trade Center; all were members of

Osama Bin Laden's terrorist network Al Qaeda. The group is a militant Islamist

organization that believes those who commit acts like those of September 11th are

martyrs, welcomed into eternal paradise.

The phenomenon of martyrdom is not exclusive to Islam. By definition, a martyr is

“one who voluntarily suffers death rather than deny his religion by words or deeds;

such action is afforded special, institutionalized recognition in most major religions

of the world…the term may also refer to anyone who sacrifices his life or

something of great value for the sake of principle” (Britannica). The word is derived

from the Greek word for witness. Throughout the ages, willingness to die for a

noble cause has been a persistent idea. In three of the world’s major religions-

Judaism, Christianity and Islam, martyrdom has played a significant role.

In Judaism, the concept of martyrdom is referred to as Kiddush Hashem which

means sanctification of God's name. This definition includes refusal to renounce the

word of God for reasons of convenience or to save one’s life. According to Judaic

beliefs, Abraham, the first Hebrew patriarch, was thrown into a furnace for

denouncing idolatry. Though he was saved by God, his brush with death made him

the first martyr of the Jewish faith. During medieval times, Jews were persecuted

by Christians throughout Europe, and were frequently put to death for crimes such

as blood libel and host desecration1. Many Jews were forced to flee Spain during

the Inquisition to avoid being unjustly persecuted under the pretense of similar

offenses. These martyrs were usually burned at the stake. In the 1940’s Hitler

systematically slayed over six million Jews during the reign of the Third Reich.

These are just a few examples of martyrs of Judaism.

In early Christianity, all believers were considered martyrs. Later, this distinction

was reserved for those who refused to renounce their faith and suffered as a

result, whether they were injured or killed. Eventually, only those who were killed

for their beliefs were considered martyrs.