Suicide Bombers: Who They Are & Why They Attack

In light of heightened securities around the globe, suicide bombings have become one of the key means of attack by dissident extremists, particularly in the Middle East. Suicide bombings in public places are hard to prevent. Bombers can disappear in crowded streets, get on buses and even enter public buildings with deadly explosives strapped to their bodies. Often, their victims are many and innocent of any involvement in their so-called "cause". But at the heart of these deadly attacks are the individuals who, in most cases, have chosen to sacrifice themselves. What type of individual do suicide bombers tend to be? What are their backgrounds? And what motivates them?

According to LiveScience.com, a U.S. Military study has revealed a lot about the type of individual most likely to become a suicide bomber. Although half of all suicide bombings since 1980 have occurred in Iraq, the majority of suicide bombers are actually from Saudi Arabia. According to the study, most are young men between the ages of 18 and 30, of Sunni Muslim religion. Surprisingly, they are generally students or blue-collar workers with an average of 6-12 years of education. They tend to be single and born into large families ranging from poor to middle class. The fact that they are from large families means that they are eager to set themselves apart, and see entering jihad as a way of doing so. In these men, religious fervor, a hatred of the West and a desire to make their mark seem to be the primary motivation. But Iraqi suicide bombings are only part of the picture.

As half of all suicide bombings occur in Iraq, half do not. In many other cases, both the demographic and motivation change. Take, for instance, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Suicide bombings by Palestinians have become almost commonplace, but why? A sense of being cornered, of witnessing horrific violence, of feeling that they are trapped and there is no way out. In other words, the saddest and most unstoppable motivation of all - pure and simple desperation. According to aztlan.net, many Palestinian women from ages 18 to 57 have chosen this desperate measure as a means of protesting the Israeli occupation. Most of these suicide attacks were in direct response to an experience the women had with violence against other Palestinians. Wafa Idriss was a 28-year-old nurse who cared for a 15-year-old boy who was mortally wounded by Israeli forces; she became a suicide bomber two days after his death. Hanadi Jaradat was a 29-year-old attorney. She became a suicide bomber after her younger brother and cousin were killed by Israeli forces in a raid. Cases such as these prove a very important and often overlooked fact - that desperation and fear make people dangerous, regardless of gender or occupation.

Suicide bombings are a very real danger for many people. The attacks are almost impossible to detect until it is too late, and innocent people are injured or killed. The most effective way to prevent these attacks is to fight against the factors which motivate the bombers. What ways can we combat religious fervor, a hatred of the West, a desire to stand out and desperation to prevent these bombings from occurring? When governments of the world are capable of answering those questions, then people worldwide will be safer from these attacks.