By: Suha Hassen
Suha Hassen is a PhD candidate at George Mason University and a USIP-Minerva Peace and Security Scholar at the U.S. Institute of Peace. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Institute of Peace or the Minerva Research Institute.
To understand Hamas or the potential rise of new jihadist groups in the Middle East or South Asia, it is crucial to untangle their concept of death within the framework of their interpretation of Islamic teachings. In their view, death is a transitional space between a false life and a real life—a bridge that connects the jihadist to the Hereafter. The fear of death is akin to the fear of nothingness, but the greater fear is that of life, which is seen as fleeting and illusory. For them, death represents the rise of Truth (الحقيقة), a transition from a fake life and false bodies to an existential life and true bodies.
Jihadist groups, such as Hamas, have not only “kidnapped” religious narratives but also reinterpreted death and life concepts to align with their ideological goals. By framing martyrdom and jihad as the ultimate expression of faith, these groups manipulate religious texts and traditions. This deliberate reworking creates a narrow, self-serving theology that sanctifies their actions while alienating voices advocating for peace and coexistence.
This appropriation of religious discourse not only redefines faith but also provides a theological veneer for their strategies. Islamist scholar Wasim Fathullah highlights this process in his book The Forty Martyrs: The Pillar of the Mujahideen and the Stages of the Martyrs, noting: “One of the worst and most despicable misconceptions that has diverted the path of jihad is the portrayal of the mujahid seeking martyrdom as someone in despair due to life, poverty, social failure, and isolation. This foolish depiction is nothing but blind obedience to the orders of the Crusaders, who seek to distort the image of the mujahid because he [المجاهد الحق] alone stands for the project of building humanity and freedom.”
While these groups claim to champion their communities, their narratives often elevate civilian death into “legends” through the process of mythmaking, presenting such individuals as heroic figures born out of conflict. This tactic not only glorifies their actions but also obscures their crimes, such as using civilians as human shields. By shaping public perception, Hamas seeks to shift attention away from terrorist actions and frame such individuals as inevitable outcomes of crossing into their “real” life, reinforcing their narrative and undermining accountability. Through their ideological frameworks, jihadist groups create a continuity of jihadist history. This narrative prioritizes their vision of living in the past and awakening it.
One Brotherhood scholar’s description of the events of October 7th exemplifies this mindset: “You are here before a true being, transcending times and conditions, surpassing the humanity of humans and the clay of humans, surpassing life and even surpassing death itself… Death? What is death? Is death not merely a transition from here… Do not think of death as death; it is life… and it is the ultimate desire.”
Such rhetoric elevates death as the ultimate goal, rather than pursuing peace.
Marketing Death as a Tangible Product
The conceptualization of death as a transition has been marketed as a tangible product within the narratives of groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. Their messaging—such as “Children are born, and women get married”—reflects a deliberate reorganization of jihadist rhetoric, integrating life events with the glorification of death and the pursuit of jihad.
This deliberate focus on death simplifies the complexity of human struggles and distorts the role of religion, transforming it into a tool of political ideology. By appropriating religious narratives and silencing alternative voices, jihadist groups perpetuate cycles of violence, ignoring the real needs and aspirations of the people they purport to represent. Hamas has also attempted to elevate individuals to “legendary” status through the process of mythmaking, presenting them as heroic figures born out of conflict. This tactic not only glorifies their actions but also obscures their crimes, including the use of civilians as human shields. By shaping public perception, Hamas seeks to shift attention away from the harm caused to innocent lives and instead frame such individuals as inevitable outcomes of struggle, reinforcing their narrative.
Conclusion
The kidnapping of the concept of death as a natural process and its reinterpretation as a transition from a falsified life to a true life goes beyond mere manipulation. It calls for a shift in the natural human understanding of existence, from life to death and back again. In this ideology, death is framed as the goal, with life merely a bridge. As a result, people are drawn toward jihadist groups, where the meaning of existence revolves around death itself. This shifts the individual’s purpose from living a fulfilled life to seeking death as the ultimate expression of existence.
This article was supported by a U.S. Institute of Peace-Minerva Peace & Security Scholar Award. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Institute of Peace or the Minerva Research Institute.
No responses yet