Martyrdom and Legacy of Blood

Abstract

Martyrdom operations as a means to achieve political ends gained currency in the Middle East since the 1980s. Violent extremist groups justified such operations with the theological idea of sacrifice for the cause of the ummah. The article argues that it was Khomeini who first promoted the idea of resistance through creating a connection between the theological notion of martyrdom and modern politics. Ritual sacrifice has been present in many societies and plays the role of communicating specific concepts or social and political structures. In the case of Shias, Ashura denotes the spirit of sacrifice as a test for loyalty toward God, which was used by Khomeini to communicate the connection between theology and the act of sacrifice in the modern political context. The idea became popular in the region, cutting across sectarian divide due to its nationalistic flavor. This article explores the transformation of the concept of martyrdom in Iranian Shias and its exportation to Sunni political groups in the region. By using theories on the role of sacrificial rituals in social construction of authority and hierarchy, this article claims that the re-traditionalized concept of martyrdom could only be meaningful in the context of modern politics and territorial sovereignty.