Are Islamic suicide bombers martyrs?

The simple answer appears to be no according to the majority of view of Islam. While we are not experts in this arena there is a good deal of information relating to this. A good explanation is found at this web address http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyr. Here is a synopsis. The word Martyr has some various meanings throughout history. The original Greek word meant Witness, not necessarily someone who dies. Throughout Christian history it primarily meant someone who dies for the witness of Christ. If a Western mind extrapolates this to Islam as someone who dies for the witness of Islam or Muhammad there can be a comparison. However, it is the method of death that confuses us as Westerners. Traditionally, the death of a Martyr is not suicidal in nature. It is the death of the innocent at the hands of those who would kill in the name of their beliefs. Therefore, Islamic suicide bombers would not be included in the Western understanding of a Martyr. The next, and more controversial, question is how Islam views a suicide bomber. Here is a quote from the wikipedia article. “Muslims who die in a legitimate jihad bis saif (struggle with the sword, or Islamic holy war) are considered shaheed. This usage became controversial in the late 20th century (due to the Islamic strictures against suicide), when it was sometimes applied to suicide bombers by various groups. There is a huge controversy about the meaning of jihad in Islam, since Muhammad never claimed that suicide is equal to jihad; Jihad is an act of fighting for the Dar al Islam, either to defend it against an aggressor or to bring about its expansion. Where Muhammad explained, in hadith, that those who commit suicide are forbidden to even smell heaven. Many contend that these murders are contrary to the spirit of Islam, however is not justified as the Quran does not endorse such acts. One hadith by Abu Bakr "To fight against the infidels is Jihad; but to fight against your evil self is greater Jihad" is explicit evidence of the Western worlds misunderstanding of the concept of jihad.” If one accepts this as authoritative then one must conclude that Islamic suicide bombers are not considered Martyrs by any standard, including Islamic standards. As a matter of conclusion, these suicide bombers not only do not receive their promised virgins, they do not even get to “smell heaven” according to the hadith.