BAGHDAD - A report by the Rand Commission released today indicates that many terrorist organizations are having trouble meeting recruiting goals for suicide bombers, and if current trends continue, may have to institute a draft in order to achieve goals such as the destruction of Israel, or the United States. The study was conducted over a six month period in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, as well as the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The report, commissioned by a Joint Task Force on Martyrdom consisting of members of Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and Al-Qaeda, cites a growing number of reasons why many young militants are willing to explore alternatives to blowing themselves up when it comes time to choose a career. The chairman of the Rand Commission, Dr. Maurice Williams, said the reason most often cited by potential martyrs was a “lack of room for advancement.” He explained: “Most kids today don’t want to be stuck in a dead-end job for the rest of their lives. Or, in the case of a suicide bomber, for the rest of eternity.”
Williams also said the promise of “seven virgins in paradise” as a reward for committing a terrorist act “just doesn’t have the attraction it once had.” The study recommends adding an additional five to seven virgins, of various shapes and ethnic backgrounds, as a way to entice candidates to consider suicide bombing as a vocation.
The study also called for more virulently anti-Semitic and anti-Western programming on Arab television as a way of increasing feelings of rage and alienation among impressionable youth who may be inclined toward more peaceful, conventional ways of making a living.
