DOES EXECUTING TERRORISTS GRANT THEIR WISHES BY MAKING THEM MARTYRS? [THE DEBATE OF THE MONTH ~ APRIL 2013]

NOTE: I will post a debate on a topic of this blog once a month.

            I chose this as the debate of the month as this date, 24 April 1996, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 was signed into law. I will give my thoughts at the end of the debate.

INTERNET SOURCE: http://www.debate.org/opinions/does-executing-terrorists-grant-their-wishes-by-making-them-martyrs

Special Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam holds up a document with a cover of Mohammad Ajmal Kasab at Arthur Road Jail, where Kasab's trial was held, in Mumbai May 6, 2010.
REUTERS/Arko Datta

43% Say Yes

  Executing terrorists does grant them their wish by making them martyrs, because it is fulfilling their wish to be one.

Even if one does not subscribe to the beliefs of terrorists, one is still fulfilling the terrorist's wish to attain martyrdom by executing them. They, the terrorists, are being executed because of their religious beliefs, which is the very definition of martyrdom: being scorned or punished for one's beliefs, religious, or otherwise. By executing the terrorists, we are contradicting our goal of deterring terrorism and vindicating the terrorists and their worldview. By executing these terrorists, we lose, and they win.

Posted by: GoodJerold49

  When a person wants to die, execution is not much of a punishment.

It can be hard to find a balance for justice against such horrible acts. Many people may wish to simply execute the terrorists, so they no longer exist. But, when you are dealing with people who see the world through an extreme religious viewpoint, rational responses do not necessarily work. Terrorists believe that they will be rewarded in death. They believe that not only will it aid their cause, but it will also bring them eternal rewards in the afterlife. From both standpoints, secular and religious, execution is exactly what the terrorist wants.

Posted by: KnownEvan

  Martyr A person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs.

Basically killing them is gonna cause more to rise because they died for their religious beliefs, in America people think killing terrorist is gonna end terrorism but you cant stop terrorism that it might slow the process but more will come to fill that 1 dead martyr terrorist in what seems to be an endless cycle that were not winning just look at our past war thousands of American die and trillions of dollar spent in what seem to be what Osama wanted.

Posted by: Anonymous

 

Demonstrators carry placards and posters and an effigy depicting Mohammad Afzal Guru during celebrations in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. (Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/slideshow_azal-guru-hanging-mixed-reactions-witnessed-in-india_1798171-6#top)

57% Say No

  Executing terrorists does not grant their wish by making them martyrs, as it only insures that they won't hurt innocent people.

Executing a terrorist only insures that the terrorist will no longer be a threat to innocent civilians who would otherwise be targeted, if this person were allowed to live. Martyrdom is in the eye of the beholder and, if we win the war on terror, then no terrorists will be seen as martyrs, so long as we establish good relationships with foreign countries.

Posted by: WiseEllsworth

  Executing terrorists does not make them martyrs, because only by them killing themselves, innocent people, and creating terror in their victims, are they made martyrs.

I think that, if you stop them from carrying out their plan, then they won't be martyred. Even if it does make them a martyr, it is still one less terrorist who can carry out a bombing that could kill many innocent people. Martyrdom is an arbitrary concept designed to give the opposition no way of killing the enemy.

Posted by: TiresomeLorenzo

  If we execute terrorists, we do not grant their wishes, because although they are martyrs, they just can not continue doing their work.

If we execute a terrorist, he may or may not be mentioned on the news. The fact that he is a martyr is very short lived and therefore his legacy does not live long. If however he would have continued living, he would have continued creating chaos in the world, which is more of his wish than being a martyr.

Posted by: eyeslikethat

  No, I do not think executing terrorists will grant their wishes by making them martyrs, because they are not able to carry out their work.

No, I do not think executing terrorists will grant their wishes by making them martyrs, because they are not able to carry out their work. One of the definitions of a martyr is to inflict torment over religious beliefs. In this case, terrorists are not able to carry out their viscous work.

Posted by: SecondNoel50