Keeping the Faith: True martyrs deserve fair name

April 23, 2009 by Haley Etchison 

Whether they are recognized or not, people are martyred for every faith. When the circumstances in which they died are politically charged, they become heroes or criminals. When their circumstances are ordinary, they are forgotten.

Whether martyrs believed their deaths would bring them greater joy than this world could provide or whether they simply could not live with the guilt of having denied their god, the will of one who gives his life rather than abandoning his beliefs shows a strong and noble soul and deserves the justice of a fair name.

The word martyr is becoming twisted. Recent history has seen it used in association with suicide terrorism which, far from being a demonstration of faith in the face of death, is, when associated with a religion, invariably a disgraceful mockery of the true tenets of the faith.

I was recently involved in a class discussion in which someone suggested that for every terrorist “martyr” al-Qaeda recruits 10 more supporters.

Though the sacrifices of many martyrs have fed the fires of the their faiths and inspired other followers to strengthen their beliefs, educated people should understand that death as a result of terrorism and martyrdom are two very different things.

Assigning a word that carries great religious meaning to an act that grossly misrepresents the values of the religion it claims to represent is damaging and disrespectful both to the faith itself and to the millions of true martyrs who deserve our memory.

Martyrs do not seek death to further their own ideals. They accept it as an alternative to abandoning beliefs that they see as more valuable than their own lives.

When the India-Pakistan partition set Hindus and Muslims against each other, trains crossed the new border with thousands of refugees and for weeks, none arrived at its destination with a living body on board.

No one knows how many Jews were murdered under Roman rule in the first century because they would allow no human king to replace their god.

Right now in the the West Bank, Muslims, Christians, Hindus and nonbelievers are being shot or suffocated under the rubble of their houses because, though their religion prevents them from claiming citizenship in Israel, they prefer to follow God.

Right now in Orissa, India Christians are being slaughtered because they would rather face the wrath of Hindu radicals than deny Christ.

Right now in China, peaceful Falun Gong are being shipped off to government facilities to have their organs harvested while they are still alive because they continue to find truth in their faith despite the perceived threat it poses to the state.

The men, women and children murdered daily for their strength of belief deserve a proper place in our memory and our language. What’s more, they deserve a legacy that accounts for the sacred beliefs that they held. True martyrs die for their faith, not for a political cause hidden behind a sad misrepresentation of religion.

We must refuse to accept the dangerous illogic that would allow us to place those who are martyred for holding onto their beliefs in justice, truth and peace to be lumped together with their murderers. We must reject the suggestions that Christianity condones the crusades, that Hinduism promotes violent exclusivity and that Islam supports offensive nationalist militancy. These are untrue ideas and they endanger the rights of martyrs to claim a memory that defends the beliefs they died for.

Martyrdom is a tragic and sacred act, distinct and opposing to terrorism and should be recognized as such, with respect and humble recognition unsoiled by the carelessness of a poor definition.

KEEPING THE FAITH is a column about religion and philosophy that seeks to open constructive discussion about our most important beliefs. It appears in every Thursday issue.