How glorification of martyrdom produces child suicide bombers in Turkey
A majority of Turkish children are exposed to Islamic education and media indoctrination that glorifies martyrdom.
On Aug. 20, news broke that an outdoor wedding celebration was attacked in Gaziantep, in southeast Turkey, on the Syrian border.
The attack left at least 57 dead and dozens wounded. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan informed the press that the Islamic State (IS) was suspected in the attack and that the suicide bomber was a child aged 12-14 years old. Erdogan added that authorities were not sure whether the child had blown himself up or the bomb was activated remotely.
A day later, however, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim retracted this piece of information, claiming that the government was not able to identify the bomber, and that therefore he could neither confirm nor deny that the perpetrator was a minor.
In almost all other suicide bombing incidents, Turkish authorities have been able to confirm and publicize the identity of the bomber within the first couple of days. However, this time, after several days, we still do not have the name or names of who was responsible. Initially, local people told the press that in this small neighborhood everyone knows each other. They said two men and a child entered into a little market and bought a bottle of water for the boy. Two days later, it was reported that a woman in a veil and a man made a boy push a bomb-loaded baby carriage into the wedding crowd.
