They are sane, rational people who have decided to kill innocent human beings in order to advance their own extreme beliefs.

Furthermore they are not doing this facing enemy fighters—as soldiers might. They are doing it in discos and restaurants facing women and children.

They are terrorists. Their aim is to kill as many innocent people as possible in order to scare people into getting their own way.

The fact that they are willing to kill themselves at the same time—and for no reason other than the fact that they have been told they will be martyrs—makes them not crazy or brave but stupid and gullible.

I suppose my use of the word “coward” was a slip into clliche. But at the end of the day, the word does sum up one of the qualities that constitute a man capable of blowing himself up within range of innocent women and children, and never having to live with the consequences. Other qualities might be ignorance, arrogance, spite and anger.

As for understanding their minds. I think that is a pointless exercise. The world will always be full of people bent on extremism. These guys just happen to exist at this time.

I’d describe him as insane, neither brave nor cowardly.

But it doesn’t matter how it looks from my viewpoint, they believe they are fighting for a just cause, and to me, killing yourself for what you believe to be a just cause is one of the ultimate acts of bravery. How many films end with a hero sacrificing himself for the greater good of mankind? How many medals have been awarded posthumously to soldiers killed in suicide missions?

The zealots believe they are serving Allah and they will receive virgins as a prize (rightly considered insanity in our opinion). In the Second World War we believed we were ridding the world of fascism and we’d go to heaven (rightly considered bravery in our opinion).

My point is trifling in the scheme of things but I think it is valid. These guys aren’t cowards they are lunatics. Sad, weak-minded lunatics. There can be no justification for what they do but we should at least try to recognize it for what it is. Calling them cowards is a nice way of comforting ourselves, but there’s more than a touch of playground machismo involved and it does nothing to further our understanding of how their minds work.

The opposite of cowardly is brave. Would you describe someone who took their own life, in a painless, instantaneous manner, who never had to live with the consequences of his actions, and who believed that the act itself would guarantee himself/herself martyrdom, as brave? I doubt it.

And to do it, standing among families with little children, among husbands and wives enjoying a holiday, possibly among people of your own faith. Where is the bravery in that? All you have to do is close your eyes. Push a button. And that’s it. Eternal martyrdom.

I think it would be far braver to look at those people and to decide not to push the button. To live with yourself having not carried out the attack. Perhaps to dedicate your life to righting wrong without killing innocent men, women, and children.

I know this point has been made before but I don’t see how the words suicide and cowardice can be uttered in the same breath. There is nothing cowardly about blowing youself up, wouldn’t you need nerves of steel?

It is senseless, evil, stupid, sad, pathetic etc… but how is it cowardly?

Sorry to make such a pedantic point on such a deeply felt post.

Englishman in NY has a beautiful rememberance of victims from the last Bali bombings and also points to a story that Al Jazeera readers blame Israel and America for the bombings, of course….