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| Southeast Asia | |
| Islamic Warriors That Oppose Suicide | |
| 2006-05-19 | |
| May 19, 2006: Islamic radicals operating in the southern Philippines have found that while the "Moro" tribesmen in the area are staunchly conservative Moslems quite willing to engage in war with the "infidel," they don't make good suicide bombers. In fact, they don't become suicide bombers at all. The Moros have a very strong warrior ethos that glorifies death in battle. But suicide isn't viewed as compatible with their warrior traditions. The way to go is to plunge into battle with the enemy, smiting him left and right until he finally gets you, not blowing yourself up in the middle of a bunch of unsuspecting innocents.
Getting outsiders to do the suicide thing made more sense in Iraq, because the Iraqis have a dismal record as warriors. But most people would be surprised to hear that the notoriously fierce Moros disdain that sort of thing. This is not a unique situation. The Afghan warriors also disdain suicide, and al Qaeda has to import foreigners for that work. | |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #4 center mass, shoot til they drop then take your time with the head shot:) |
| Posted by: Xenophon 2006-05-19 21:22 |
| #3 never undervalue a head shot - except on a muzzi? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-05-19 20:42 |
| #2 The Moros would also wrap their major muscles and torso in tight leather, that while leaving them mobile, would "hold them together" when being shot or sliced. That, combined with smoking plenty of hashish, could sometimes allow them to waltz through a hail of .38 caliber bullets long enough to use their knife on a US officer. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-05-19 19:11 |
| #1 I am wondering if this is not a trend. People who have tradition of victory or at least of quaklitative superiority over enemies (Moros, Pashtooons, Tchetchens) do not suicide. Arabs make poor fighters so they turn to suicide operations, in the same way the Japanese initially didn't use kamikazes. They turned to them when the training of their pilots became so awful they were unable to kill anything in conventional combat ( by 1945 the Japanese were losing more pilots in air accidents than in combat: they were not even able to keep formation). Thinking about it; it makes sense: someone who believes that by staying alive he will be able to kill scores of enemies will not be tempted by suicide even when fanatic (eg German SS fought to death but did no suicide attacks), it is when you know that if you trade shots you will be killed without harming the ennemy that you attempt suicide attacks. |
| Posted by: JFM 2006-05-19 18:02 |