“Martyr” is an old word getting new attention. Earlier this month, Pope Francis named Oscar Romero, a Catholic archbishop murdered in 1980, an official Catholic martyr, and the 50th anniversary of the Selma civil rights march reminds us of the martyrdom of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other activists.
Then there are the recent atrocities of the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, which last week (Feb. 15) released a video showing the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians. The Islamic State and many other groups, Islamic and otherwise, lionize their fallen fighters as “martyrs.” This edition of The ‘Splainer looks at the meaning of martyrdom and why one person’s martyr can be another person’s terrorist.
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