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Support for suicide bombing linked to mosque attendance
by Scott Gilbreath ~ February 20th, 2009
A survey of Palestinian Muslims indicates that support for suicide attacks is correlated, not with devotion to Islam as such (as measured by frequency of prayer), but with frequency of mosque attendance.
The researchers surveyed Palestinian Muslims about their attitudes towards religion, including how often they prayed and went to mosque. The researchers found that devotion to Islam, as measured by prayer frequency, was unrelated to support for suicide attacks. However, frequency of mosque attendance did predict support for suicide attacks. In a separate survey of Palestinian Muslim university students, the researchers found again that those who attended mosque more than once a day, were more likely to believe that Islam requires suicide attacks, compared to students who attended mosque less often.
The study considered only the fact of mosque attendance and did not investigate the content of mosque rituals. What exactly is it about attending mosque that increases support for suicide bombing?
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