Here's another fascinating look into suicide bomber pedagogy and procedure from Paul McGeough, writing in Australia's The Age (via Tim Blair.)
The whole system is extraordinarily well-organized, both pre- and post-explosion.
Pre-explosion training begins with the Al Aqsa Brigade's "martyrdom unit:"
The planning of suicide bombing missions is a tightly held secret. About six or eight volunteer cells are involved. They groom the bomber religiously and tactically; they make the bomb; they transport it and the bomber; they select and monitor likely targets; and they organise accommodation and disguises.A few days before the mission, the bomber is instructed to quietly disappear from his or her home and work. Then begins a period of immersion training, of intense periods of time spent with a father-figure minder, upon whom they are coached into great psychological dependence - both to please him and to follow his every instruction.
The post-explosion phase begins when "the first drop of the martyr's blood spills on the ground," according to terror bomb theologian Sheik Ahmed Yassin. At that point, the terrorist maniac immediately "goes to paradise," while "his victims, the Jews, go to hell." Then after a brief bureaucratic procedure at the gate, the martyr moves on to collect valuable prizes, including the oft-noted virgins. When they say 72 virgins, they mean 72 virgins. And they're not just talking about two scoops of raisins:
Khaled, a hotel worker, spoke in wonderment of a martyr's encounter at the gates of heaven as someone having their file checked: "There will be blessings for 70 of his family and friends. The 72 virgins are real - their skin is so pale and beautiful that you can see the blood in their veins. If one of these virgins spits in the ocean, the seawater becomes sweet. The martyr is so special he does not feel the pain of being in the grave and all that his family has to do to cleanse his file thoroughly, is to repay his outstanding debts."Posted by Dr. Frank at April 13, 2002 11:06 AM | TrackBackSurely, we ask, this view of the Koran should be seen as philosophical? As a parable? But no, there was a chorus of disagreement from a gathering of his friends in the teeming Jabalya refugee camp near Gaza City: "No. This is real . . . this is as it will be," said Khaled, as much for himself as on behalf of younger Palestinians who now talk endlessly of the benefits of death over life in a bombing campaign that has killed more than 200 Israelis in 18 months.