I don't think it takes balls to commit suicide, especially when its over in a flash, and you are an Islamic on a Jihad expecting to become a hero at home and instantly go to heaven to be with 72 virgins. Its the culture.
Its also an appealing way to die for many of those who do not want to live anyway. Some people crave oblivion. Without any hard facts, I have a hunch that the divorced Palestinian female paramedic who blew herself up was one of these. Those individuals are people without the courage to face life. They want to die. "The cause" allows them to not die in vain.
Then there are the ones who apparently did not even know they were on a death mission, according to bin Laden referring to 911.
So you have those who are culturally brainwashed, those in despair, and those who are duped.
I'm not saying that fear doesn't exist in terrorists, and that
the resolve to overcome that fear isn't exhibited by some of them.
I'm saying its pretty simplistic to characterise terrorists as "brave."
I'm still scratching my head over that one.