Martyr

{{religion}}
{{cquote|'''MARTYR''', ''n.'' One who moves along the line of least reluctance to a desired [[death]].|||Ambrose Bierce, ''[[The Devil's Dictionary]]'' (1911)}}
A '''martyr''' is one who dies in order to promote or defend a [[belief]] or, especially, a [[religion]]. Many [[nation]]s celebrate a version of Martyrs' Day.

[[Sociologist]] Farhad Khosrokhavar has coined the term 'martyropathy' to indicate a [[cult]]-like affliction of those who actively seek martyrdom:<ref name=khosrokhavar>''Suicide Bombers: Allah's New Martyrs'' by Farhad Khosrokhavar, translated by David Macey (2005) Pluto Press. ISBN 0745322832.</ref>{{rp|58}}
{{cquote|At the level of both affects and the logic of action, martyropathy is a form of behavior in which death, and not [[life]], is seen as the goal. It cannot be fought against through classical means of intimidation or repression.|||Farhad Khosrokhavar<ref name=khosrokhavar/>{{rp|59-60}}}}

==Christian martyrs==
[[Christianity]] has a long history of reverence for matyrs, who are seen as having made the ultimate sacrifice for their faith. The first Christian martyr is generally reckoned to be St. Stephen, who, according to the [[Acts of the Apostles]], was stoned to death. His lead was taken up by some early Christians who formed what were effectively [[suicide]] [[cults]]; these were soon suppressed by both religious and temporal authorities.<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/feb/27/christianity-religion-martyrdom-circumcellions Watch out! the circumcellions are back]</ref> The concept of martyrdom survives to the present day, with the Archbishop of Canterbury's 2015 [[Easter]] speech referring to martyrs in the [[Middle East]] and [[Kenya]].<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/archbishop-of-canterbury-christians-murdered-in-kenya-and-libya-by-islamist-terrorists-are-martyrs-10157540.html Archbishop of Canterbury: Christians murdered in Kenya and Libya by Islamist terrorists are 'martyrs']</ref> {{wpl|Martyrologies}} are books devoted to biographies of martyrs. Due to the inherently [[bias]]ed nature of the books, promoting specific religious views, the books tend to be [[Hagiography|hagiographic]] in nature.

==Islamic martyrs==
The term "martyr" is quite similar to the Arabic term ''shahid'' (شهيد). 

Most Islamic clerics have issued [[fatwa]]s against the killing of non-combatants and other innocents, and reject the term ''shahid'' for those who have killed themselves and others in the name of [[Allah]].

Islam generally considers any woman who dies during childbirth to be ''shahida''. 

===Examples of Muslim shahid(a)===
* Sumayyah bint Khayyat, first female martyr, who was executed when she converted to Islam in 615.
* Zayd ibn Ali &mdash; killed in 740 CE trying to protect his people from the rule of the corrupt and cruel Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik.
* The Five Martyrs of Shi'a &mdash; all 5 were executed by [[Sunni]] regimes for holding to [[Shi'a]] beliefs.

==Buddhist monks in Vietnam==
[[File:Thích Quảng Đức.JPG|thumb|right|A statue honoring Thích Quảng Đức in Vietnam]]
{{wpl|Thích Quảng Đức}} (d. 1963) is often considered a martyr for killing himself in order to bring awareness of the persecution of [[Buddhists]] by the [[Roman Catholic Church]] (and not the [[Vietnam War]], as commonly believed).{{fact}} Đức killed himself because he felt no one in the [[West]] was aware of the people's struggles and such a dramatic act would bring some media attention and internal pressure. Although self-immolation was not unprecedented in [[Vietnam]], the attention his actions received due to the iconic ''Life'' magazine photograph proved him right.

==See also==
*[[Argumentum ad martyrdom]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Religious terms]]

Categories: Religious terms