Talk:Martyrdom in Palestinian society

Biased article

Do we really need an article like this? Isn't this "phenomenon" present in all societies with a Muslim majority? Dl.thinker (talk) 11:59, 27 November 2023 (UTC)

I agree that this phenomenon also exists in other societies, including other Islamist societies. However, this article focuses on Palestinian society where the phenomenon has been extensively studied and has a comprehensive academic literature. I think it's appropriate for Wikipedia to avoid generalizations. Eladkarmel (talk) 15:07, 28 November 2023 (UTC)

In your opinion, we should create an article about every society that glorifies martyrdom? This is illogical. Every society describes its fighters who die for a cause that has great meaning to them as martyrs. This article is inflammatory to the core. Dl.thinker (talk) 15:46, 28 November 2023 (UTC)

The posters are from the IDF and we have no idea of the context in which they may have been used. The UDF photo of the chassroom simply assumes that the posters are there to promote martyrdom - but if we saw these in a classroom elsewhere in the world we'd probably assume they were there as a 'discussion point'. How on earth does anyone know if and why these posters were in the classroom ? Pincrete (talk) 07:33, 8 December 2023 (UTC)

So I found this article from Vice that shows some similar-looking posters: https://www.vice.com/en/article/pazeqb/a-brief-history-of-palestinian-martyr-posters

The Vice article refers to them as martyr posters, but also states that not everyone agrees with these posters and also that they are becoming less relevant with social media. Because the posters are becoming less relevant, I am not sure if it is appropriate to feature the image so prominently at the top of the article. It may be more appropriate to put it in the history section. As a side note, I also don’t want to upset editors or readers who may potentially see the image as offensive or hurtful but that is more of a personal sentiment than an argument against image inclusion. The posters probably do have some historical significance. Wh15tL3D09N (talk) 17:39, 8 December 2023 (UTC)

Apart from issues about how prevalent or endorsed these posters are and the different meaning of 'martyr' in a Palestinian context (basically akin to 'victim of the conflict') - we are extrapolating a cultural tendency to glorify violent death, or using the posters to imply such a tendency - rather than the more obvious reason that those who die in any society at the hands of an enemy or resisting a perceived oppressor are lionised. Does the remembrance of this failed heroic stand prove something about the glorification of martyrdom in Texan/US mythology, or is the explanation much simpler?

Even if we accept that 'martyr posters' are widespread, it proves little other than that Palestinians see such 'martyrs' as heroes, for having been killed by, or fighting the oppressor, not because their society glorifies (our meaning of) martyrdom per se. I cannot read the Haaretz article(££$$) below but would expect to find a much better, and less partisan source, than this on which to base almost any analysis of Palestinian society - particularly in the current 'wartime' context. Pincrete (talk) 07:03, 14 December 2023 (UTC)

Wikipedia editors are not allowed to do to do their own original research, but they are allowed to summarize others’ original research. According to researchers, including a Palestinian anthropologist, suicide martyrdom culture in Palestine is a real phenomenon. I will acknowledge that I think there are some problems with some of the research articles coming from non-Palestinian authors; they fail to differentiate between shahid and Istishhad. Here’s an article that specifically uses the word “glorified”:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329589338_Palestinian_Culture_and_the_Glorification_of_Suicide_Martyr_Istishhady Wh15tL3D09N (talk) 08:12, 14 December 2023 (UTC)

I don't doubt that sources exist such as that you link to, since I have seen some and read a few. I do doubt firstly, whether it is a majority view (which is the minimum for putting text in WP:VOICE) that this is an aspect of Palestinian culture. Secondly I doubt whether this is a result of the culture or simply a reaction to the present political situation.

Even the source you give says in its intro: "Palestinians consider the Istishhady as courageously sacrificing himself for the sake of everyone. They see him as a symbol of the struggle for freedom, which is what they are fighting for, and life maker for the new generations until the end of occupation, liberation of Palestine, and fulfillment of the wishes of Palestinians" That is not saying that glorifying of martyrs is an integral part of the culture - it is saying that glorifying of martyrs is a reaction to the present political reality. This isn't even hinted at in the article currently. As I've said elsewhere, one would see much the same lionising of the 'heroic dead' (and much the same public art) in N. Ireland during The Troubles or in S. Africa during the struggle against apartheid.

I also doubt whether one can justifiably extrapolate anything from the existence of a picture or poster, which is what the article attempts to do at present. Pincrete (talk) 12:40, 14 December 2023 (UTC)

I didn't realize this phenomenon was present in all Islamic societies. I think the phenomenon in Palestinian society is unique though, both in its relation to Israel and in its education system. For example, according to this article https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/2023-12-12/ty-article-magazine/.premium/how-unrwa-became-the-second-most-important-organization-in-gaza/0000018c-5deb-d798-adac-fdefaf450000, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Morocco have decided to "improve their societies by means of educating toward moderation and peace" while Palestine has decided "to turn education into a strategic tool for violence and raise a young generation of shahids." Wh15tL3D09N (talk) 02:37, 13 December 2023 (UTC)

@Sakiv:, @Eladkarmel:, @Pincrete:, @Wh15tL3D09N: I have added some sources to the top of this page which seem to discuss this issue specifically within a Palestinian context. From a skim-read, they seem to be academic and discuss the issue in-depth with experts in the field. This may be a good basis to expand on this article, which I admit at the moment is very biased. Thoughts? --GnocchiFan (talk) 22:59, 13 December 2023 (UTC)

The Heroes and Martyrs of Palestine book looks interesting and comprehensive! Some of the other sources I am not able to access though (not in school anymore). TBH I am a little burnt out from Wikipedia. I haven’t been continuously on Wikipedia this long before. I need to take a couple months off. Wh15tL3D09N (talk) 00:14, 14 December 2023 (UTC)

If this article doesn’t get deleted, I will try skimming / reading the materials you provided. Wh15tL3D09N (talk) 22:52, 14 December 2023 (UTC)

No worries, I appreciate that Wikipedia takes it out on all of us - look after your own mental health and take a break if needs be!

Regarding source access, not sure if you'd be eligible for Wikipedia Library access? If so, I think you should be able to access most of the sources. There are also editors at the Resource Exchange request page who can help with finding specific sources. If neither of these works, I'm happy to summarise or help however I can for the sources I am able to access. GnocchiFan (talk) 22:56, 14 December 2023 (UTC)

Wow, thanks for letting me know about Wikipedia Library! Will definitely check that out. Wh15tL3D09N (talk) 23:46, 14 December 2023 (UTC)

• Nableezy, are we creating yet another article full of sometimes biased and sometimes sensationalist news articles on individual events? I was looking at that Events and reactions section. Drmies (talk) 15:43, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

  don’t say we I voted to delete this. But yes. There could be an article on martyrdom as an idea in Palestinian society but this ain’t it. nableezy - 16:41, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

Requested move 10 December 2023

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: Moved — removed "Glorification of" from the article title per WP:AVALANCHE. While it may be inappropriate for me to perform the move as an involved editor, discussion has been ongoing for two weeks with high participation & unanimous support for dropping "glorification of" from the title. It is also worth noting that this article being kept at AfD was conditioned on changing the title. As such, this should be an uncontroversial close, despite my involvement. Further discussion on changes to the title or scope may continue, but dropping "glorification of" is a start. (non-admin closure)  Vanilla  Wizard 💙 23:30, 23 December 2023 (UTC)

---

Glorification of martyrdom in Palestinian society → Martyrdom in Palestinian society – The policy laid out at Wikipedia:Article titles requires consideration of "all five of the criteria for article titles" (recognizability, naturalness, precision, concision, and consistency). Martyrdom in Palestinian society is an improvement upon the current title, which is less recognizable, unnatural, imprecise, unnecessarily long and would be more neutral if shorter, and inconsistent with such page titles as Martyrdom in Judaism, Self-sacrifice in Jewish law, Istishhad, Shaheed, Christian martyr, and Martyr—all of which lack anything resembling the judgmental "glorification" prepended to the current title of this article. --Orgullomoore (talk) 18:17, 10 December 2023 (UTC) — Relisting. Wikiexplorationandhelping (talk) 18:28, 17 December 2023 (UTC)

• Support as nom. --Orgullomoore (talk) 18:20, 10 December 2023 (UTC)
• Support per nom; worth noting that a lot of people supporting this article being kept in the ongoing deletion discussion also think that the "Glorification of..." bit should be removed from this article. – GnocchiFan (talk) 18:43, 10 December 2023 (UTC)
• Support as more neutral title. Bensci54 (talk) 17:55, 12 December 2023 (UTC)

  @Bensci54 aggree Irtapil (talk) 04:38, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

• Comment this is a bit academic while the deletion discussion is ongoing. Pincrete (talk) 12:42, 14 December 2023 (UTC)

• I disagree - as has been noted in the deletion discussion, if this page was at a more neutral title I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that the votes would be different. GnocchiFan (talk) 15:48, 14 December 2023 (UTC)

• @GnocchiFan what do you mean? Isn't the discussion about the title? Irtapil (talk) 04:39, 15 December 2023 (UTC)
• @GnocchiFan and Pincrete: I understand what you mean now. This article should exist and should exist with a more neutral perspective. I've not read much of the content yet, but it's a concept that I myself want to be able to learn more about from a neutral unbiased perspective. Irtapil (talk) 15:20, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

• "Martyrdom in Palestinian culture" - The word "glorification" is definitely too sensationalist and judgmental, but also "culture" is a more suitable word than "society". There's not a political or bias related reason for the second, it just fits better in general. Irtapil (talk) 14:46, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

• Or "Martyrdom in Palestinian language and culture" Language should probably be added, since concepts like translations of شهدي in English and foreign news would be important to include. I think that's not exactly the right word, my vocab is small and my grammar is non-existent. That root by itself means "witness" and is used as a prefix to some news reports, but I think that's also the word used in songs dedicated to people who died in war. And I only recently learned that the word and concept applies not only to deaths in combat, but also innocent victims of war. It is a thing I don't fully understand, but that I - and most other English speakers following the news - would definitely benefit from understanding. Irtapil (talk) 15:20, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

• Support rename per Orgullomoore. Marokwitz (talk) 20:30, 15 December 2023 (UTC)
• Support per nom. Owen× ☎ 17:07, 17 December 2023 (UTC)
• Support as a good first step. I still feel that this should be expanded to include the place martyrdom holds in the societies on all sides of the regional conflict, regardless of nationality, ethnicity or religion. It would make a much more balanced and less POV-driven article. Cheers, Last1in (talk) 20:45, 17 December 2023 (UTC)
• Why not Martyrdom in Palestine? We already have Martyrdom in Iran. Or if territory makes this proposal controversial, Martyrdom among Palestinians. Super Dromaeosaurus (talk) 22:18, 17 December 2023 (UTC)

  We have also Martyrdom in Chinese culture. It appears that there isn't a single standard, but to me, the title "Martyrdom in Palestinian Society" suggests a sociological angle. Marokwitz (talk) 22:29, 17 December 2023 (UTC)

They're the same to me personally, just that one is shorter. Super Dromaeosaurus (talk) 22:33, 17 December 2023 (UTC)

• Support proposed title on the grounds that the current title is not acceptable and this would be a step forward. But my preference is, as one editor at the AfD suggested, Martyrdom in the Arab-Israeli conflict. I won't oppose this one just because I prefer another one, as either option helps to alleviate the glaring POV issues. I feel the latter option would do more to help with this, of course.  Vanilla  Wizard 💙 01:05, 18 December 2023 (UTC)
• Support makes sense. Eladkarmel (talk) 15:41, 18 December 2023 (UTC)
• Support per nom. I'll also respond to some other suggestions. I think "culture" or "culture and language" is less appropriate than "society" because they're too narrow in scope. I agree that Martyrdom in Palestine would also be an appropriate title. Vanilla Wizard's proposal is interesting and worth considering. voorts (talk/contributions) 23:55, 18 December 2023 (UTC)
• Support per Orgullomoore Dovidroth (talk) 09:24, 19 December 2023 (UTC)
• Support per nom. An article's title can alter a reader's perception of the subject before they even read the lead section. I also find "Martyrdom in Palestine" to be a fitting alternative. Building on the suggestion by Vanilla Wizard , an even more comprehensive and neutral approach could involve creating a Martyrdom in the Arab-Israeli conflict article, to provide a broader context for a more thorough exploration of the subject, considering the concept of martyrdom in the context of Palestine is intricately tied to the specific dynamics of the I/P conflict. Mooonswimmer 16:14, 19 December 2023 (UTC)

Support Zanahary (talk) 22:39, 22 December 2023 (UTC)

another title option "Martyrdom in Palestinian language and culture"

Glorification of martyrdom in Palestinian society → Martyrdom in Palestinian language and culture – Irtapil (talk) 16:08, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

See my comments in the parent discussion above. I'm not sure if that needs a second thing to be considered as an option, or if it should be part of previous discussion? I apologize if I got it wrong. Irtapil (talk) 16:08, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

Relisting comment: There appears to be a consensus for a move, but no consensus on what the new title should be. Wikiexplorationandhelping (talk) 18:28, 17 December 2023 (UTC)

• Oppose until above discussion is finished. Let's take this one step at a time, please. Cheers, Last1in (talk) 20:45, 17 December 2023 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Textbooks

No reasons were provided for this revert. Leibniz-Institut seems like a reliable source. i24news and IMPACT-SE are Israeli sources, but we should not presume they are automatically unreliable. Alaexis_¿question? 16:33, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

i24 has repeatedly published things later proven to be bullshit without ever retracting it. It is a garbage source and should not be used. nableezy - 17:50, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

Can you give an example? Alaexis_¿question? 18:56, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

40 babies murdered on October 7. Never been retracted. nableezy - 21:29, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

That was attributed to someone at ZAKA, no? If it was stated as fact it would be a different matter. Alaexis_¿question? 21:08, 20 December 2023 (UTC)

There has been no acknowledgment that it was bullshit by i24 as far as I know. See also here where they say 40 babies taken out on gurneys. Also see here for discussion on i24 recently. nableezy - 21:18, 20 December 2023 (UTC)

Well, she says "this is what one of the commanders told me" around 2:08. It was October 10, nothing was clear at that time. Probably it would've been a good idea to add an update to these tweets, but I don't think it disqualifies them forever. Happy to take it to WP:RSN. Alaexis_¿question? 21:27, 20 December 2023 (UTC)

Feel free. That isnt the only issue with i24, as the last archive at RSN should show you. nableezy - 21:28, 20 December 2023 (UTC)

I think the Leibniz-Institut quote can be kept. Their statement that that violent attacks are seen as a legitimate form of resistance is also found in Nasser Abufarha’s book who writes, “acts of violence are already legitimate and culturally appropriate forms of resistance in Palestine.”

The statement by i24 “The book teaches that those who do not sacrifice themselves are weak. It also includes an exercise in which students are asked to write an essay on terrorist attacks carried out by Palestinians” is exceptional and would need better sourcing. Also we don’t know how pervasive this type of teaching; we don’t have a balanced context to understand if this was one radical teacher or an entire school system. But I definitely think Leibniz-Institut should be kept in the article. Wh15tL3D09N (talk) 22:13, 20 December 2023 (UTC)

The institute is a self-published, primary source for its own surveys,so this currently has no weight, and the material isn't even presented in anything resembling a proper write-up, but in a Q&A format - and not even Q&As from reliable sources are really acceptable. Iskandar323 (talk) 20:40, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

Yes, the EU-commissioned report that Alaexis restored seems like a reliable source. From my understanding the EU commissioned their own third party study. I thought the objection was to IMPACT-SE not Leibnez-Institut.

If the Q&A format is objectionable, here is another source: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2021-0105/

And here: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CDP-2021-0105/CDP-2021-0105.pdf

And here: https://www.gei.de/en/departments/knowledge-in-transition/analysis-of-palestinian-textbooks-paltex.html

The sources I provided are more balanced though. From the first link, they found that Arabic language textbooks “contain emotionally laden depictions of Israeli violence that tend to dehumanise the Israeli adversary, occasionally accusing the latter of malice and deceitful behaviour” but other subjects books were more objective.

There is also a 2017 quote from the PA’s Minister for Education, “Sabri Saidam, defended the curriculum, saying that contentious parts of the PA curriculum, including maps that don’t include Israel, and praise of so-called martyrs—many of whom are considered terrorists by Israel—derive from “the ripple effects” of the conflict.”

The sources also mention that the textbooks do include teachings on human rights.

But I feel the textbook controversy, specifically the antisemitism and hate speech part if we go by the q&a source, is off topic for this article on martyrdom. Textbook controversy should into the wiki article for Palestinian textbooks. Plus there is still ongoing discussion about the scope of this article. Some people in the discussions wanted the scope widened to martyrdom culture in Palestine in general rather than focusing on violent martyrdom effects on Israel.

I feel that violent martyrdom effects on Israel is important, but it also can’t be ignored that the Palestinian society does seem to be a desperate one and one that has likewise been victimized (just as the suicide attacks victimize Israelis) given it’s history in war and the Deir Yassin Massacre carried out by Israeli terrorists (which is chillingly similar to the Oct. 7 2023 attack) and the Israeli occupation (home demolitions, random killing of civilians, etc), and it being manipulated by Hamas into thinking suicidal martyrdom is religious. Wh15tL3D09N (talk) 23:44, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

You're right that we shouldn't stray from the topic here and only mention what is directly relevant to the article topic. I don't think that Deir Yassin is relevant to the discussion, it wasn't the first or last massacre, unfortunately (e.g., the 1929 Hebron massacre 20 years before that). Alaexis_¿question? 21:20, 20 December 2023 (UTC)

I only recently learned about the Deir Yassin massacre when I was skimming the Heroes and Martyrs of Palestine book by Laleh Khalili. Mentioned it in the discussion to make a point about victimization. I do tend to get off topic in article discussions. Thanks for trying to keep me on track. Wh15tL3D09N (talk) 21:30, 20 December 2023 (UTC)

I have struck through some of my comment. I was wrong about the Deir Yassin vs Oct 7 2023 comparison. I did not read the entire Wiki article at the time and had only read the lead. After reading through the entire article including the section about propaganda as well as additional material, I decided to strike through parts of my comment and I am sorry for making uneducated comments. Wikipedia provides attribution calling the Irgun terrorists. Off Wikipedia I found that those Irgun at Deir Yassin were also called teenagers. Wafflefrites (talk) 17:34, 8 March 2024 (UTC)

In general, if you are starting a comment with I feel then you should remind yourself of WP:NOTFORUM. nableezy - 17:36, 8 March 2024 (UTC)

Thanks, this would have been a helpful reminder back in December 2023 as well. Wafflefrites (talk) 17:40, 8 March 2024 (UTC)

User:Wh15tL3D09N, I'm not so good at math, maybe, but I'm sure you have made more than one revert in this article in the last 24 hours. Drmies (talk) 21:08, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

Didn’t realize, have self reverted, thanks for the heads up! Wh15tL3D09N (talk) 22:07, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

"Glorification of martyrdom in Palestinian society" listed at Redirects for discussion

The redirect Glorification of martyrdom in Palestinian society has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2023 December 23 § Glorification of martyrdom in Palestinian society until a consensus is reached.  Vanilla  Wizard 💙 23:23, 23 December 2023 (UTC)

Major OR problem

Looking at the sources, there is a major original research problem. You can't take a primary news source article which refers to someone being "martyred" and then make conclusions based on that. We are not here as researchers to make conclusions, were are here as Wikipedians to mirror what RS says according to guidelines. Makeandtoss (talk) 13:37, 24 December 2023 (UTC)

I strongly agree that the article has major WP:OR problems. At the AfC some of us called for dropping some WP:TNT on it and even many keep !voters agreed that the state of the article was very poor. Feel free to tag or remove problematic original research content.  Vanilla  Wizard 💙 18:44, 24 December 2023 (UTC)

@Makeandtoss

It depends what that is used to support?

That would be fine (as one of a few examples) to support a simple claim like "the word is used by" a particular group or media source, or used in a particular context.

e.g. I think the claim that it was very widely used to describe the Christian journalist (whose name I know but can't spell) would be very well supported by just showing a variety of examples.

But a more complex claim like "the word is used to inspire people to join militant groups" is too WP:Synth to be supported just by examples.

Irtapil (talk) 01:38, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

I think the OR issues have been resolved. I double checked all the current sources in this article to make sure they all contain the word “martyr” or some Arabic variation. Wafflefrites (talk) 07:49, 31 January 2024 (UTC)

"Glorification of Palestinian terrorism" listed at Redirects for discussion

The redirect Glorification of Palestinian terrorism has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2023 December 24 § Glorification of Palestinian terrorism until a consensus is reached.  Vanilla  Wizard 💙 19:10, 24 December 2023 (UTC)

different topics need different sources … and we need help

I am quite new to this issue, and feel under under qualified to fix this by myself.

But I wanted to start a conversation about sources.

Really, most of us are wildly under-qualified to be writing this. Maybe we should reach out for some help from Arabic Wikipedia? We need more people who can at least READ a wider variety of more appropriate sources.

Quite a lot of claims are worded strongly and only supported foreign sources. (Some of this might be editors over correcting for what the current template banners suggest?) Sources that might be reliable in general, but not so much for a sensitive cultural issue. There are quite a few that are dubious, but just for example - "This reflects a communal belief that every Palestinian death is part of a resistance against Israeli occupation."

That is far too authoritatively worded when there is…

• just one source
• from a foreign newspaper (USA)
• from a country with a VERY different language and culture
• the USA is Israel's closest ally
• and the USA did a 20 year "war on terror" that massively fueled Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism in the Western World

Some of these western sources might be quoting someone more informed - "Raja Abdulrahim is a Middle East correspondent for The New York Times, based in Jerusalem, covering the Levant" - or even an article written by someone with a relevant cultural background, but the publications obviously will be controlling who they talk to and what they print. I'm not saying they are even necessarily inaccurate, just I don't think an article like this should be too heavily relying on perspectives from Western newspapers.

Small independent Palestinian and diaspora sources, that we might normally consider less authorities or too biased for other issues (e.g. factual info about IDF activates), possibly are more suitable when the issue is about the feelings and beliefs of Palestinian people. They are the experts on that, and nobody else is. Obviously it needs some balance, we shouldn't have a propaganda piece, but it probably needs SOME sources that we might rule out for other pages.

And ideally, more people who at least know the language, on this and really most of the articles that are currently very active. From what little Arabic I do know, I can see the world is currently watching two very different wars, there's often a gap about who's right and who is winning, but this one is bigger.

Irtapil (talk) 08:14, 26 December 2023 (UTC)

I removed that sentence. I originally copy and pasted from the Martyr wiki page and didn’t really think too much about it or check the sources. I agree we should try to stay away from news articles and use more academic sources. I think a mix of both Middle Eastern and Western authors are fine for balance and different perspectives. GnocchiFan did an amazing job and put together a list of possible sources in the yellow box at the top of the page. The Heroes and Martyrs of Palestine book by Laleh Khalili is interesting; it has a section on NGOs and UNWRA. Apparently NGOs and political groups also have a hand in contributing to the culture, I think if I skimmed correctly? To be honest I have been procrastinating on this… it is hard for me to read certain writing styles… some people like to take you on a journey and sometimes I find I have to reread sections to get the main point and determine which parts are related to martyrdom. Wh15tL3D09N (talk) 10:09, 26 December 2023 (UTC)

Thanks @Wh15tL3D09N: - That source MIGHT be ok (author's bio is a bit ambiguous), but a copy-pasted sentence is probably not a good idea unless we've got time to check the source well.

I worry a lot of the content on English Wiki about topics like this might have been distorted by copy-editing by editors who will inevitably skew towards North America, Europe, Australasia, and India (all places that are majority non-Muslim and non-Arab, and with a history of hostility towards those minorities).

This article is kind of patchy - some bits seem informative, others feel very "off" - but I feel massively under-qualified to improve it. e.g. The authors of a lot of the sources sound like they come from possibly relevant cultural backgrounds, but I would not be able to tell the difference between a Palestinian name and an Egyptian name. And in any group people will vary, e.g. Egypt, the Egyptian government has been co-operating with the blockade of the Gaza Strip for years, but Bassem Youssef is an Egyptian American who has been very supportive of Palestine (I think he's Egyptian American due to clashing with the Egyptian government on other issues?)

Irtapil (talk) 08:08, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

The main two sources I used were books by Iranian American professor Laleh Khalili and Palestinian anthropologist Nasser Abufarha who currently lives in the West Bank. Both did research fieldwork among Palestinians. If you take a look at the sources used, the vast majority of them are now academic sources. I agree it’s patchy; I mainly filled out and followed the original article outline and organization by Eladkarmel. Laleh Khalili actually goes more into the politics of martyrdom. Her writing style is not as “poetic” as Nasser Abufarha’s and since I tried to keep very close meaning as the original sentences (mostly I use a thesaurus or change syntax), the article has at least three voices and reads as though it was written by three different authors. If you can summarize or paraphrase further that would be helpful. I disagree with mostly using Arab or Muslim sources. Even with the 2023-current Israel Hamas war, the reporting is going to be different depending on which “side” you are on. From the Palestinian side, it’s going to look like death, destruction, horror; from the Israeli side, they are seeking vindication (meaning they are seeking to avenge for October 7), take back the hostages, and if the pattern of war history holds they will seek to take the “spoils of war” (namely land). Doesn’t mean one side is true or false. Both are valid and the best way is to present both sides or a blended version. It’s like Blind men and an elephant. Plus sometimes our enemies are the most insightful ones about parts of ourselves, and how can we improve ourselves if we limit us to an echo chamber that spares our feelings and only gives us what we want to hear.

Also here’s a YouTube video I found:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89U4P7lHWd4

From the video it seems most Palestinians think that shahid is about martyrdom, dying for country, etc., but there is one interviewee (a lady and her dad).. they don’t answer because they say it’s about politics!!! Which is kind of what Laleh Khalili touches on throughout her book (commemorative narratives mean different things to the “transnational” Palestinian elite vs refugee ! Maybe the common layperson thinks Palestinian martyrdom is about religion sacrifice, etc. but maybe it is also about politics and promoting narratives.

I agree the topic is complicated and can be viewed from different POVs which are all valid. Regarding your comment about suicide attacks, though they were popular 1990s to 2010s (also the West Bank Barrier seems to have discouraged at least some percentage of them) they are still a part of the history of martyrdom in Palestine so that is why I think they should still be included and they are in the reliable sources. Kahlili says the narratives of martyrdom in Palestine change and adapt over time to environment: 1970s was the fidayeen, First Intifada was the shahid (Abufarha states this as well because it fit well with the image of victim vs oppressor) 1990s to early 2000s was Istishhadi ( which after the West Bank barrier possibly shifted the focus back to shahid), fast forward to today. Because of the shifting and adaptations, all forms of martyrdom need to be included and it is possible suicide bombing incidents may rise again depending on the right environmental factors.

Anyways, I only skimmed both Laleh Khalili and Nasser Abufarha’s book for info that I thought was most relevant to the outline of the Wiki article , but it is really interesting thinking about the promotion of commemorative narratives from a political standpoint, how it influences the thoughts of people, their actions, a whole country. There were some things I didn’t include from Khalili’s book (hundreds of pages): she also talks about martyr funerals which some see as controversial because they sometimes make a huge procession out of it, she briefly mentions the role of mothers as well (a section that we deleted) but also states that it is a normal reaction to an environment where you see your children as being heroes or a sacrifice for the country. There was also more stuff about funerals being symbolically like weddings. If you would like to read more and add to the article, the suggested sources are still in the yellow box at the top of the page under “This article is rated C-class”. Wh15tL3D09N (talk) 20:41, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

Do you mean writing styles in English or Arabic? My knowledge of Arabic is pretty minimal, I can read the script and recognize just a few words. Martyr is one of them, so I can spot when art is about that, but I don't know how much of the vibes in art translate cross culturally. Even non-language things vary e.g. ✌ definitely means something in Palestine. I think it shifted from "V for victory" to Peace in the western world, but not in the Middle East? If that doesn't have a page here, it needs one. Irtapil (talk) 08:10, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

I didn't see the list of sources from @GnocchiFan is there a way to make it stand out more?

Looking through the list, it jogs my memory regrading something, suicide bombings seems to have mostly stopped? At least from mainstream Palestinian nationalist groups? (by Palestinian nationalist I mean Hamas and their assorted anti-two-state allies…)

I have not heard of any (credible reports of) deliberate attacks like that in this war, lot of risky attacks with explosives that definitely had a high death, but that would be the plan going wrong, death was a high risk, but the goal is always to stay alive and keep fighting.

The IDF claim to have found suicide vests, but what they show looks like body armour or lap top bags.

The most recent intentional suicide attacks I've heard of were ISIS sympathizers targeting Hamas? I wonder if part of the reason Palestinian nationalists reduced their use of that is that it became a bit stigmatized by the association with ISIS?

But possibly the change was that Israel got too Good at thwarting them? Or maybe better weapons from international allies made "live to fight another day" a more viable plan?

But I've not done a comprehensive search, this change might not even be real? But if the reduction in attacks where death is "Plan A" is real, this wiki page should cover that? (I'll tree read it and come back to eat my words if it's there already.)

Irtapil (talk) 08:47, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

Sorry my comment was a bit of rant, I came here planning to delete or abridge it, or read more or the Article before I judged. But I'll leave it there since someone's responded. Irtapil (talk) 06:58, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

Fathi Hammad did a notorious speech / rant in 2019 that mentioned a "suicide vest factory" but it doesn't seem like he got (m)any volunteers? Allegedly he's a "top Hamas leader" (according to sources that were, justifiably, offended by other things he says in that rant) but he might be a bit of a fringe wingnut? He seems to have been a minor backbencher since 2014? Irtapil (talk) 08:56, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

Sorry to be so verbose, there are so many stories related to this issue that seem very important to include but that I only half understand and feel very under qualified to write about in the wiki page itself. Irtapil (talk) 08:56, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

Moved to talk page till I get time to format references

The culture of martyrdom has also influenced Palestinian militants, with groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) considering it the highest form of sacrifice for their cause. The practice is not limited to Islamist groups; it is also prominent in the secular groups, such as the DFLP and PFLP. Both are overtly secular parties that have historically included members from both Christian and Muslim backgrounds. The word is usually dropped from their name in English, but the full name of the PFLP's Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades is Arabic: كتائب الشهيد أبو علي مصطفى, lit. 'Brigades of the Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa' after their leader Abu Ali Mustafa who was assassinated by an Israeli airstrike in 2001.

There were references there, in comment flags <!-- url --> but someone doing a visual edit put {{citation needed}} next to them instead of formatting them, so I'm moving to here till I get time to format them. To avoid any further mess. Irtapil (talk) 01:29, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

References

Feda'i

The article still suffers from major problems, including issues relating to due weight and the choice of sources. However, in the meantime, the context on how the secular anti-occupation concept of self-sacrifice, feda'i, came to hold a more religious meaning should be expanded. I can't think of any sources so looking for recommendations. This would refute what the original intention of this article, to portray Palestinian self-sacrifice exclusively in the context of religious fanaticism. Makeandtoss (talk) 13:07, 4 February 2024 (UTC)

@Makeandtoss: Here's an article that covers that and a whole bunch more on the subject of martyrdom. Iskandar323 (talk) 15:04, 4 February 2024 (UTC)

Interesting point on how the Islamist concept had always existed and the only difference is which ideology was more prominent at a certain time. Not sure if the source is RS or if article is editorial; but in either case a comprehensive academic source making these connections will be interesting. Makeandtoss (talk) 15:11, 4 February 2024 (UTC)

It's a standard magazine article, so perfectly RS for our purposes unless prosecuted otherwise. One line strikes right at the heart of your enquiry: "Palestinian martyrdom crosses the boundary between secular and theological, suffusing the gap left by the absence of the right to have rights." Iskandar323 (talk) 15:35, 4 February 2024 (UTC)

@Makeandtoss, I agree with you about secular self sacrifice. Even in the speech announcing operation Al Aqsa Flood, Deif wasn't talking about paradise, he was talking about being remembered in history and bringing pride to your family and community. I think it might have included some more obscure Islamic references, but it was still interesting to notice. MWQs (talk) 09:42, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

Sorry. Is that a weird thing to bring up? I'm not sure. MWQs (talk) 09:43, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

Can this new article Palestinian suicide attacks also be looked at, as it covers similar ground and could potentially be a WP:FORK? Aszx5000 (talk) 20:32, 20 August 2024 (UTC)

Article moved and I fixed the above link. starship.paint (RUN) 08:21, 31 August 2024 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Approaches to Islamic Art

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 6 February 2024 and 9 May 2024. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Jglasgow03 (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Jglasgow03 (talk) 22:48, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

The Making of a Human Bomb

"The Making of a Human Bomb," an ethnography by Palestinian anthropologist Nasser Abufarha, explores the phenomenon of "martyrdom operations" in Palestinian society, and the author opines positively in favor of this form of violence. Perhaps this source can be of use to those contending NPOV. --Scharb (talk) 20:11, 18 September 2024 (UTC)

Martyrdom as a form of coping with loss

What's notably underrepresented in this article is the evolution of the term "martyr" referring more and more to civilian casualties as a way to cope with the losses of loved ones in Palestinian societies - as a form of justifying that their death was not in vain BlackIris00 (talk) 19:19, 10 October 2024 (UTC)