Reply #8: It's unclear whether your attitude leads to effective policy:

[struggle4progress]

when "martyrs & martyrdom" is a recruiting theme for groups, giving them more martyrs may simply help their recruitment drives.

And if the underlying psychology of the "suicide bomber" may involve notions such as "certain situations are so hopeless, the best thing I can do is blast myself and a number of bystanders to little pieces," then one ought to have some interest in the question, "What circumstances produce this hopelessness and how can the process be interrupted?" Loud cheers for the hanging of obviously disturbed people certainly has some propaganda effect: it may, however, be the opposite of what you intend.

There was a case, a few years back, in which a would-be suicide bomber was injured but not killed in the attempt, was hospitalized by the authorities, and -- contrary to his own expectations -- was treated as a human being. The result was that the thwarted bomber began to see his declared enemies as human beings also and provided a public apology for the attempt. This sort of event also sends a message ...