War Languages Palestine women suicide bombers Vesa Matteo Piludu University of Helsinki Department of Art Research

Occupation and terrorism The violent military occupation of Gaza has clearly reinforced terrorism propaganda in the territory More Palestinian victims, more parents are willing to revenge them Paradox: the wars against terror produce more terrorism and a never-ending circle of violence

Revenge “I pledge to my people that I will continue on the path of my family, and avenge the widows and the orphans”

Mother of Martyrs “I am the mother of two martyrs, and I will sacrifice myself as a martyr, Allah willing.I will turn my blood into bombs that will burn them” Masked woman clad in explosives belt: “I, the martyrdom-seeker Umm Suheib, have dedicated myself for the sake of Allah, and for the sake of redeeming my family, from which I have lost eight martyrs so far. I swear by Allah that I will turn my body parts into a fire that will burn the occupation soldiers, if they move towards my house

Body weapons The suicide women insist on the fact that their own body or blood, not the bombs, is the weapon

Western discourse on Sunday Times London Sunday Times: ”They are anonymous in veils, but when they go out to kill they may be disguised with a ponytail and a pretty smile … Israel new nightmare: female suicide bombers more deadly than men”. Disgusting propagandistic text full of misogyny’s contents How the journalist know about the female terrorist facial expressions and their hairstyle? Why the female bombers should be more deadly than men, wearing the same bombs?

Switzerland The recent posters against minarets shows also the Western fear of female terrorist and of growing popularity of burka

The Shahidas’ world Book: Army of Roses: Inside the word of Palestinian Women Suicide Bombers by Barbara Victors Shahidas – female martyrs transformation from a bearer of life to killing machines Passage from nature to technology Palestinian cult of death Myths of suicide virgins Absurd discourse on equality: women, like men, can reach paradise as martyrs despite earlier beliefs that women could not be martyrs

Arafat’s Army of Roses Jan 22, 2002, hours before Wafa Idris, the first woman suicide bomber, blew herself up, Yaser Arafat spoke to women in his compound at Ramallah and told: “Women and men are equal … you are my army of roses that will crush Israeli thanks”

Male suicide soldiers Japanese kamikaze Iranian martyrs in the war against Iraq

Other female terrorist: Algeria Algerian revolution against French occupation Bombs were leaved in French bars, no suicides Battle of Algiers – Trailer Gillo Pontecorvo's masterpiece

Other female suicide soldiers: Sri Lanka Hight rates of women suicide bombers amongs the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka German journalist Christoph Reuter The Tamils use the same propagandistic discourse on equality: ”modern emancipation of Tamil women” ”same rights and military duties as Men” Women more easily conceal bombs under their clothes by passing off as pregnant Strange association creation - destruction