Polygyny
Vocabulary
| suicide | involved | motivated |
| rather | mission | encourage |
| allow | polygyny | distinguish |
| except | fantastic | anthropology |
| lack | situation | nothing to do |
| awful | shortage | available |
| status | thereby | inequality |
| theft | density | obvious |
| factor | sufficient | continuous |
| key (2) | martyr | ingredient |
| heaven | monogamy | guarantee |
| nuptial | prospect | appealing |
| engage | asylum | consistent |
| hope | parallel | motive |
Vest Jackets
Not all suicide bombers are motivated by religion . . . but when religion is involved, they are always Muslim.
Why is this?
Is it because Islam encourages its followers to go on suicide missions?
An Explanation
The answer, according to anthropologist Alan Miller, is that Muslim suicide bombing actually has little to do with Islam or the Koran (except for two lines in it).
In fact, suicide bombings have nothing to do with religion, politics, culture, race, ethnicity, language, or region.
Directly anyway.
As with everything else in life, it has everything to do with sex — or, rather in this case — the lack of it.
Polygyny
What distinguishes Islam from other major religions is that it allows polygyny (having more than one wife).
Most men general think this is a fantastic situation . . . in reality, it may be great for some; but awful for others.
What this means is that for every man (usually among the rich and powerful) who has an additional wife, another man (mostly from poor communities) will have to go without. If three percent of all men have four wives each, then twelve percent of men won’t have any wives at all.
Shortages and Competition
And so polygyny creates a shortage of available women for individual men.
This leads to competitive pressure — and jealousy — especially among young men of lower socio-economic status.
Violence
Across all societies, polygyny thereby drives some men (both single and married) into violent acts, from fights and domestic abuse to murder, rape, assault and theft, even after controlling for such obvious factors as economic development, inequality, population density, the level of democracy, political factors, and region.
However, polygyny itself is not a sufficient cause for suicide bombing.
Societies in Africa are much more polygynous than the Muslim nations in the Middle East. And Africa does have high levels of violence, including a long history of continuous civil wars.
But not suicide bombings.
Martyrdom
The second key ingredient to suicide bombings is the promise of 72 virgins waiting in heaven for every martyr of Islam.
Martyrdom would be a reprehensible undertaking for anyone who already has a mate — and children — which monogamy normally guarantees.
72 Virgins in Paradise
However, the prospect of 72 virgins in paradise becomes more appealing to nuptial, monetary and social losers on earth.
So it is this combination that pushes and pulls a few Muslim men to engage in suicide bombings.
Parallel motives can also be drawn for mass shooters, illegal migrants and asylum seekers.
And consistent with this theory, virtually all suicide bombers are are male and young with no jobs … no money . . . no (female) partner . . . and no hope — at least in this world.
Questions
1/2. According to the writer, religion and politics specifically encourages suicide bombings. Is this correct or wrong?
1/3. What do most males think about polygyny? Is it the same with reality?
1/100. Are there “winners” and “losers” in a polygynous society?
2/3. In a society, polygyny affect male behavior. True or false? How does it affect it? Why does it affect it like that?
2/5. What is the second element that drives suicide bombings?
3/4. Lack of wives only affects men from the Middle East. Yes or no?
3/10. Describe the characteristics of suicide bombers, terrorists and mass shooters.
4/5. Do you think all wars, revolutions, crime, social and civil unrest are motivate by sexual desire or absence of sexual satisfaction?
5/6. Has terrorism or mass shootings been a problem in your city or country?
5/8. Who have been the perpetrators? Describe the profile of the “typical” terrorist or mass shooter.
7/10. What may be some causes of horrific crimes?
8/100. What will happen in the future?
9/10. What could be some solutions to terrorism and mass shootings?
