Experts analyse psychology of suicide bombers

Cairo– Suicide attacks have turned from an exceptional weapon used during military operations into one of the ways adopted by the terrorist groups. The act of cultivating certain ideas in the minds of young people who carry out these attacks, is a crime in and within itself. According to reports, 923 terrorist bombing operations have occurred in nine months inside and outside Egypt.

Experts confirm that  the perpetrators of such crimes are young people deluded by the thoughts of the extremist groups, as psychologists suggest that the extremist groups brainwash the minds of the young.

The suicide attacks witnessed a notable increase during the recent period, as 923 extremist elements committed suicide attacks between January and November 2016 using car bombs. The year 2017, has so far, witnessed a large number of suicide attacks. The most recent bombings were in Iran preceded by the terrorist attacks that targeted London, Manchester, Stockholm, Afghanistan, Turkey and other countries.

Jamal Farwiz

Professor of Psychiatry Jamal Farwiz said that the suicide bomber is just a regular figure molded by people who have political goals, who get other people to deceive them. He stressed that it is difficult to hold a discussion or reason with the suicide bombers, as they lack proper religious background, adding that they are only open to ideas adopted and promoted by the leaders of extremist groups.

He explained that extremist groups work to use young men aged between 18 and 22 years, saying that they recruit persons lacking any religious background so as not to be able to discuss the ideas planted in their minds.

Dr. Mohamed Hany, Professor of Psychiatry, said that the absence of the family’s role during adolescence allows extremist groups to polarize the children of these families, making them an easy target to recruit. He added most suicide attackers are between the ages of 15 to 25.

He added that they use the hardships of these young people to plant extremist ideas in their minds. They also convince them that they will enter paradise when they commit such attacks because it viewed as a victory for Islam and Muslims, as they are told. He stressed the need to give priority to the young people who are considered the major target of the extremists.