Amlot, Richard

Ansari, Humayun

Cinnirella, Marco

Lewis, Christopher Alan

Loewenthal, Kate Miriam

Rogers, M. Brooke

Background. The British Psychological Society Research Seminars Competition recently funded a three-part seminar series, entitled “Aspects of terrorism and martyrdom”. The first one-day seminar was held on 1st May 2002 and was jointly hosted by the Department of Psychology and Centre for Ethnic Minority Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London, England, UK. Aims. The first seminar focused on the question: What roles are played by religious beliefs and identity in supporting views of violent activists as terrorists or martyrs? Main contribution. Seven papers were presented examining the question under discussion: Andrew Silke described the role of the organisation in suicide terrorism; Orla Muldoon investigated identity as a moderator of attitudes to violence in a normal student population; Max Taylor and John Horgan examined the psychological and behavioural bases of Islamic fundamentalism; Graeme Steven discussed the relationship between religious beliefs and motivation to join a terrorist group; Clare Gummer and Kate Miriam Loewenthal examined British Christians’ beliefs about Islamic terrorism and martyrs; Christopher Alan Lewis, Mary Mullan and Catherine Frances Quigley examined some beliefs in Northern Ireland about martyrdom, terrorism and September 11th; Simon Dein provided an anthropological perspective on violence and martyrdom in Islam. Dialogue about the papers was facilitated by a number of round-table discussions chaired by Christopher Alan Lewis, Marco Cinnirella and Brooke Rogers respectively. Conclusions. Collectively the papers presented at the seminarprovide a clearer understanding of what roles are played by religious beliefs and identity in supporting views of violent activists as terrorists or martyrs

Proceedings of the British Psychological Society Seminar Series: Aspects of Terrorism and Martyrdom

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