In Gaziantep on August 20, a bride was preparing herself for her marriage tomorrow. In Turkey, this night is known as the henna night, similar to a bridal shower, in which women and children present gifts to the bride before the ceremony tomorrow. Traditionally, this event took place outside on the streets of the town, and many people gathered for the festivities which mostly included Kurdish women and children.

All of the sudden, this event turned into a nightmare when a suicide bomber attacked. The attack left 57 people dead, most of which were Kurdish women and children, and many more wounded. The current president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suspects that the Islamic State (ISIS) was behind the attack, and informed the press about the wedding attack. Many people were outraged and thunderstruck that the terrorist organization has decided to target a wedding. The suicide bomber was 12-14 years old.

And the worst part, the people are used to the idea of child suicide bombers.

Turkey has been at war with the PKK for the last four decades, and has been fighting ISIS for over a year. From fighting with these groups, Turkey has been in a state of extreme nationalism by supporting troops and encouraging fighting against such terrorist groups. From this nationalist mindset, however, the country has been glorifying soldier and civilians that have died in the fight against terror as martyrs. Though is it admirable for Turkey to be honoring their dead, this practice of martyrdom is having some profound effects on the youths who grew up in this ultra-nationalist world, and are willing to die for their country as those before them has done.

“We witness children between the ages of 4 and 14 frequently in two categories,” said a family health official who works for an AKP municipality, “Either they are acting extremely bold and aggressive in ways that could physically hurt themselves and those around them, or they are on the other side of the spectrum with a sincere phobia, what we call death anxiety. One child complained, for example, 'I wake up suffocating.' Later, we found that he was scared his parents would kill him so that he could become a martyr.”

The desire for martyrdom’s impact in Turkey is, to be frank, terrifying. In their newspapers, there are nationalist comics depicting children dreaming about dying for their country and in order so that they are granted a spot in heaven. On TV, the Turkish State Television network aired a documentary about the Syrian civil war, and had a girl talk about how she would become a suicide bomber to do her part in the war. Children are being taught in religious schools to be able to walk to their deaths without fear, and even act in plays where children march and sing about their wish to become a martyr for their country!

From looking at Turkish history, this sort of zeal is nothing new. When Ataturk defeated the Ottomans and formed the Republic of Turkey, he asked everyone to honor those who have died in for their new nation. On the Turkish flag, the red represents the blood of Turkey’s soldiers at the time of war they went through. After the attempted coup, the zeal for becoming a martyr has never been greater. When Erdogan asked the people of Turkey to help stop the soldiers from achieving the coup, which was actually a call of martyrdom that many people were more than willing to answer. On many occasions, Erdogan and other officials expressed jealousy of those who have become martyrs, and even stated that Turkish soil should be washed with the blood of martyrs.

While Turkey may have a long history of martyrdom and the idea of becoming a martyr may be honorable, the whole notion of raising children to become martyrs is twisted. There isn’t anything glorious or honorable about dying. There is so much to experience in life, so much to see, to hear, to feel. We don’t live to dream about death. If Turkey continues to glorify martyrs and praise those who sacrifice themselves for their country, then how would they ever hope obtain peace in the region when all they want to do is kill and die for their country?

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/08/...