Table Of ContentWITNESSES TO FAITH?
11 September 2001 in New York; 11 March 2004 in Madrid; 7 July 2005 in
London: these dates remind us that suicide bombings, or ʻmartyrdom
operationsʼ, have become the common coin of international politics in the
West.
What exactly is meant by ʻmartyrdomʼ today, whether in Islam or
Christianity? This book tries to give an answer. Muslim and Christian scholars
come together to find a common understanding, based on the scriptures and
traditions of each faith, of martyrdom in todayʼs violent world. Part One
presents the historical background and contemporary relevance of each
tradition. Part Two asks whether martyrs from one tradition could be
recognized as such by the other, as well as discussing the practice of
ʻveneratingʼ martyrs and examining two dramas of martyrdom by twentieth
century writers. Part Three includes a study of martyrdom in Shia Islam and
some short studies of past and present suicidal operations. Three appendices
reproduce some classic discussions of martyrdom frequently referred to in
the book, plus a plea for non-violent options within the Muslim tradition(cid:14)
This book is dedicated to the memory of Sir Arthur Hockaday, who died
while it was in preparation. He was second permanent under-secretary
of state in the British Ministry of Defence from 1976 to 1982, and
director-general of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission from
1982 to 1989. Arthur served with great distinction as chairman of the
Council on Christian Approaches to Defence and Disarmament from
1989 to 1999, and made many contributions to its research and
publications, especially on the ethical difficulties of defence policy
and the conduct of war in the nuclear age. The authors of this book
remember him with much respect and affection, and wish to remind
their readers of his work for justice and peace.
Witnesses to Faith?
Martyrdom in Christianity and Islam
Edited by
BRIAN WICKER
Chairman of the Council on Christian Approaches to Defence
and Disarmament (CCADD), UK
First published 2006 by Ashgate Publishing
Published 2016 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Copyright © 2006 Brian Wicker
Brian Wicker has asserted his moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act, 1988, to be identified as the editor of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in
any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Witnesses to faith? : martyrdom in Christianity and Islam
1. Martyrdom – Christianity 2. Martyrdom – Islam 3. Martyrdom
I. Wicker, Brian, 1929–
272
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Witnesses to faith? : the concept of martyrdom in Christianity and Islam / edited by
Brian Wicker for the Council on Christian Approaches to Defence and
disarmament.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7546-5667-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Martyrdom. 2. Martyrdom—Christianity. 3. Martyrdom—Islam. I. Wicker,
Brian, 1929– II. Council on Christian Approaches to Defence and Disarmament.
BL626.5.W58 2006
272—dc22
2005026509
ISBN 9780754656678 (hbk)
Typeset in Times by J.L. & G.A. Wheatley Design, Aldershot, Hampshire.
Contents
List of Contributors vii
Foreword by Richard Harries ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xiii
Introduction
Brian Wicker 1
PART ONE
1 Competing Perspectives on Jihad and ʻMartyrdomʼ in Early
Islamic Sources
Asma Afsaruddin 15
2 Christian Martyrdom: History and Interpretation
Anthony Harvey, Richard Finn and Michael Smart 33
3 What is Martyrdom?
Harfiyah Haleem 49
PART TWO
4 Still a ʻNoble Armyʼ after 11 September 2001?
Brian Wicker 79
5 The Veneration of Martyrs: A Muslim–Christian Dialogue
Harfiyah Haleem and Brian Wicker 97
6 The Drama of Martyrdom: Christian and Muslim Approaches
Brian Wicker 105
v
vi Witnesses to Faith?
PART THREE
7 The Concept of Martyrdom: A Shia Perspective
Abolfazl Ezzati 117
8 Martyrdom and Murder: Aspects of Suicidal Terrorism
Brian Wicker, Peter Bishop and Maha Azzam 123
APPENDICES
1 Thomas Aquinas on Martyrdom 139
2 Broadening the Classical Concept of Martyrdom
Karl Rahner SJ 147
3 Non-Violent Options for Conflict Resolution in Islam
Harfiyah Haleem 151
Index 159
List of Contributors
Dr Asma Afsaruddin, Associate Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies,
University of Notre Dame, is the author and editor of three books, and has
written numerous articles on various aspects of Islamic thought. Currently she
is investigating competing perspectives on jihad and martyrdom, with a Harry
Frank Guggenheim grant.
Dr Maha Azzam is Associate Fellow at the Royal Institute of International
Affairs, London, and formerly Associate Fellow of the Royal United Services
Institute.
Dr Peter Bishop, a Methodist minister and a specialist in the history of
religions, was formerly head of the Department of Humanities at the University
of Brighton. A former presbyter of the Church of South India, he worked in
Tamilnadu for seven years.
Abolfazl Ezzati has taught at the University of Tehran and is the author of
The Spread of Islam (1976).
Dr Richard Finn OP is a Dominican friar and Regent of Blackfriars Hall,
Oxford, where he teaches Church History. He is a member of the Theology
Faculty at the University of Oxford.
Harfiyah Haleem gained an MA in English from Oxford University and
another in Islamic Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies
(SOAS), University of London. She is a freelance writer, editor and broadcaster
on Islam. Formerly she worked for 14 years with the IQRA Trust (a UK
educational charity) on Islam and, before that, at the Centre for Islamic Studies
in Oxford.
Dr Anthony Harvey was formerly Canon of Westminster Abbey and Lecturer
in Theology in the University of Oxford.
Michael Smart, a former senior civil servant, was International Affairs
Secretary of the British Council of Churches from 1986 to 1990. He is
an Anglican layman who is also an attender at a local Society of Friends
meeting.
vii
viii Witnesses to Faith?
Brian Wicker holds masters degrees in English (Oxford), Philosophy
(Birmingham) and War Studies (Kingʼs College, London). He is Chairman of
CCADD and was formerly a senior lecturer at Birmingham University and,
latterly, Principal of Fircroft College of Adult Education, Selly Oak.
Foreword
In the Christian tradition the word ʻmartyrʼ is integrally related to the Greek
word for ʻwitnessʼ. Martyrs are those who witness not just by their lives, but
by their deaths, to the truth in which they believe. Within the early Church,
martyrs were the great heroes of the faith, and significant shrines and churches
were built in their honour.
In the modern world, the concept of martyrdom has once again come to the
fore through suicide bombers who have been exhorted to act in this way on
behalf of their faith. These bombers have raised questions in many peopleʼs
minds about the validity of the whole concept of martyrdom. Indeed, it has
been suggested that many of the early Christians were too eager, almost
clamouring, to go to their deaths.
In a world where there is so much misunderstanding and where
misunderstanding between religions is particularly dangerous, itʼs very good
to have this serious and scholarly study of martyrdom in both Christianity and
Islam. It will help all of us to be better informed and be less at the mercy of
our prejudices and stereotypes.
Richard Harries
Bishop of Oxford
President of the Council on Christian Approaches to
Defence and Disarmament (CCADD)
ix
