Martyrs: Innocence, Vengeance and
Despair in the Middle East

Joyce M. Davis
New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2003. 214 pages. 

Davis seeks to present a balanced view of terrorism vs. martyrdom, mod-
erate vs. radical, the Muslim world vs. the West, and why 9/11 happened.
The author is deputy foreign editor at Knight Ridder newspapers and is a
regular contributor to her company’s 32 newspapers.

In chapter 1, “A Minister’s Question,” Davis, an African-American
practicing Christian, wonders why African-Americans mainly have chosen
non-violence, while the self-professed Muslims held responsible for 9/11
chose violence. As both groups ground their struggle for justice in their
respective religions, this gives rise to a paradox: Can God provide “supe-
rior” and “inferior” revelations? Muslims are told to “fight injustice” (e.g.,
8:39, 22:39), while Christians are called upon to “turn the other cheek”
(Matthew 5:39). Matthew 10:34-37, about Jesus “bringing a sword” is also
instructive. Moreover, if “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and today,
and forever” (Hebrews 13:8) and Jesus is God, what is one to make of the
Old Testament’s record of divinely sanctioned slaughter? 

She defines martyr according to the religion’s general view
(Christianity: “generally a pacifist who suffers and dies but not kill” [p. 8];
Islam: “everyone who dies in the midst of battle defending his homeland
or fighting evil” [p. 9]), but does not define militant, extremist, terrorist,
or moderate – a curious omission, since there are no agreed-upon mean-
ings for them.

Chapter 2, “The Innocents,” discusses the deaths of Palestinian and
Israeli children, how both sides exploit their martyrs (“anyone who dies
in the midst of battle” [p. 27]), and mutual charges of deliberate child
endangerment. She interviews parents and surviving siblings, and states
that this has become a vicious circle of revenge, and relates the various
psychological impacts as charges of western indifference to Palestinian
deaths, and Israel’s continued defiance of UN resolutions.

Chapter 3, “The Child as Soldier-Martyr,” opens with her visit to Iran’s
Martyrs Museum. She wonders if Iran might turn this “ultimate” weapon
on itself as “stridently” conservative mullahs and the “freedom-hungry and
angry” youths move closer to violence. After explaining Shi’ism’s origins
and key events, she mentions the martyrdom of a 12-year-old boy who

Book Reviews 133



became a legend during the Iran-Iraq war. Fortunately, instead of present-
ing this as fanaticism, she reminds readers that defending one’s nation is a
duty of everyone, regardless of age or gender. She also analyzes how fam-
ilies of martyrs, who enjoy enormous respect, are demanding openness in
government and the leadership’s accountability both to God and the people.
Given that their children died to put the clerics in power, it is almost impos-
sible for the clerics to ignore them. 

Chapter 4, “The Woman as Soldier-Martyr and Suicide Bomber,”
recalls Loula Abboud, a 19-year-old Lebanese Christian woman whom
Davis calls the first female suicide-bomber and a possible inspiration to
the Palestinians. Other female suicide bombers, as well as their parents’
apparent unawareness, also are analyzed. Davis provides a more balanced
perspective here by showing that suicide bombing is not unique to
Islam. 

Chapter 5, “Suicide Bombers and September 11,” discusses Muham-
mad Atta’s and Bin Laden’s justifications for 9/11 and similar events,
legitimate targets, and the early Muslims’ view of warfare. She makes an
interesting claim: “Muslim scholars say it was only after repeated perse-
cuting in Mecca, including the slaughter of many of the early Muslims,
and pressure from companions such as Abu Bakr that Muhammad
changed his teaching and allowed them to defend themselves through mil-
itary means” (p. 95). To her credit, she relates Islam’s guidelines for war,
something that traditionally Christian countries only developed during the
twentieth century, a fact that she omits. This chapter ends with her inter-
view of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin of Hamas, who informs her that they are
fighting occupation and settlements, which is not terrorism, and that one’s
intention determines whether an act is suicide or martyrdom, terrorism or
self-defense.

In chapter 6, “The Mothers of Martyrs,” Davis relates portions of her
interviews with the mothers of three “martyrs.” One claims that there are
only two choices: peace and the intifada. Consumed by rage and bitterness,
she has chosen the intifada and encourages the Palestinians to keep fight-
ing. Another woman remains numb with grief, while the third wonders if
her son really ended up in Paradise. As this is an intensely personal chap-
ter, there is no analysis of how women as a whole are affected by this appar-
ently unending conflict. This is an unfortunate oversight.

Chapter 7, “The Trainers,” deals with Davis’ interviews of two suicide-
bomber trainers. After discussing Hamas and Islamic Jihad, she mentions a
popular view among “Muslim fighters” (p. 141): “regular” (classical) and

134 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 21:1



“irregular” jihad (e.g., the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and during rebellions,
revolutions, or uprisings against alien authority), during which the classical
rules can be “stretched” (p. 141). She states that many Islamic scholars dis-
agree, that there is no need to “recruit” potential martyrs, and that potential
suicide bombers do not seek to enjoy the sexual delights of Paradise.

Chapter 8, “Can They Be Stopped?” discusses Egypt’s battles with al-
Gamaa al-Islamiya and Islamic Jihad, as well as Israel’s battles with the
Palestinian resistance. Davis sees Bush globalizing this military-first policy,
for “the Bush administration is determined to use its military might as the
central focus of its campaign against al Qaeda and Islamic militants” (p.
173). Even worse, she claims, citing Israeli terrorism expert Reuven Paz, the
American intelligence community “doesn’t understand Islamic culture so
they cannot interpret the information they have … They don’t have enough
Arabic-speaking people … they don’t have enough Arabic-reading people”
(pp. 178-79).

In chapter 9, “The Hatred and the Hope,” Davis lists more reasons
why “they” hate “us.” She asks who speaks for Islam, encourages mod-
erates to continue speaking up, and wonders why media coverage remains
so unbalanced. Why indeed? Her own analysis, as an insider, of the con-
tinued and pervasive American ignorance of Islam and the Muslim world,
would have been very welcome.

Although several omissions (e.g., the implication that Sharon visited
the Temple Mount as a private citizen instead of with several thousand
Israeli security force members) and mistakes (e.g., Tunisia is not a monar-
chy, spelling mistakes, and missing words) detract from the book's main
arguments, this book is well worth its price. Davis places events in their
historical context, and does a good job of presenting both sides. However,
it is disconcerting that the majority of her information comes from the
Internet.

Jay Willoughby
AJISS Managing Editor

Herndon, Virginia

Book Reviews 135