TY - JOUR
T1 - The Al Qaeda 9/11 instructions
T2 - A study in the construction of religious martyrdom
AU - Neria, Yuval
AU - Roe, David
AU - Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin
AU - Mneimneh, Hassan
AU - Balaban, Alana
AU - Marshall, Randall
PY - 2005/1
Y1 - 2005/1
N2 - A growing global concern about suicide attacks has led to attempts from various disciplines to understand the psychological profiles of persons willing to commit suicide terrorist attacks. Recent reports have suggested that more powerful explanatory models might be discovered using social psychological concepts, with a shift of focus from the individual to the group within which the individual acts and by which the individual is influenced. This paper attempts to do so by presenting an analysis of the Al Qaeda 'final instructions' document, which sheds light on the way members of this group were mobilised towards conducting one of the most devastating assaults in modern history. We discuss the use of religious doctrine and rhetorical devices as a psychological strategy employed by this group to inspire, control and mobilise its members before and during the September 11, 2001, attacks.
AB - A growing global concern about suicide attacks has led to attempts from various disciplines to understand the psychological profiles of persons willing to commit suicide terrorist attacks. Recent reports have suggested that more powerful explanatory models might be discovered using social psychological concepts, with a shift of focus from the individual to the group within which the individual acts and by which the individual is influenced. This paper attempts to do so by presenting an analysis of the Al Qaeda 'final instructions' document, which sheds light on the way members of this group were mobilised towards conducting one of the most devastating assaults in modern history. We discuss the use of religious doctrine and rhetorical devices as a psychological strategy employed by this group to inspire, control and mobilise its members before and during the September 11, 2001, attacks.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=19044391190&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.religion.2005.02.001
DO - 10.1016/j.religion.2005.02.001
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:19044391190
SN - 0048-721X
VL - 35
SP - 1
EP - 11
JO - Religion
JF - Religion
IS - 1
ER -
