Female Suicide Bombers

Celebrated as liberators and martyrs by those who support their cause, denounced as terrorists by their opponents, suicide bombers have become all too common in violent conflicts worldwide. The female suicide bomber is a relative newcomer to the landscapes of war, but more and more women are being recruited for self-sacrifice.
This work discusses the history of suicide bombing and profiles the female suicide bomber. It raises the question of why women are increasingly used as bombers and explores the Western societal biases that tend to cast women in nonviolent roles. Battlegrounds discussed include Lebanon, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Chechnya, and Israel and Palestine. Because bombers do not operate as individuals but at the direction of organizations, this book also examines the organizations, their scope and training methods. It concludes with a discussion of strategies for the future and advocates continued human rights watch and continued global intervention.

The late Rosemarie Skaine was a sociologist and lived in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Her writing interests included families and women’s issues.

Rosemarie Skaine
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 235
Bibliographic Info: 12 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, glossary, index
Copyright Date: 2006
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2615-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii

Preface      1

1. The Phenomenon of Suicide Bombing      7

2. The Female Suicide Bomber in Society      25

3. Freedom Fighters or Terrorists?      58

4. Middle East Conflicts in Lebanon and Turkey      73

5. The Conflict in Sri Lanka      85

6. The Chechen-Russian Conflict      97

7. The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict      121

8. United States Policies and New Strategies      150

9. Analysis      166

Abbreviations and Glossary      173

Chapter Notes      175

Notes to the Tables      192

Bibliography      199

Index      213

“a heavily researched professional, serious-minded, and up-to-date treatment of a singularly serious topic”—Midwest Book Review; “informative”—www.readersreviews.com.