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THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING

PAULA BROADWELL
The growing role of women in terrorism
By Paula Broadwell | December 12, 2006

RECENT NEWS of a 70-year old Palestinian woman in Gaza becoming a suicide bomber raises the specter
that more women are involved in terror campaigns. Should we be concerned?

In fact, women of all ages and sects are playing an increasing role in several aspects of supporting terrorist
behavior. Recent chatter on jihadi web forums alludes to an alleged new Shiite female assassin unit in Iraq
formed to target Sunnis. Other areas of involvement include: opening bank accounts under a maiden name to
evade suspicion by counter-terrorism financing experts, raising money for terror groups through charity
functions, and transporting supplies and information past airport security officers focused on Arab men.

These women, known as mujahidaat, also engage in collective non-violent endeavors. In Syria, they take part
in private sisterhood organizations that proselytize and recruit. On "Jerusalem Day" in Lebanon this fall, 1000
women marched in support of Hezbollah. After a fall 2006 Israeli raid into Gaza, in which military forces
targeted militants hiding in a mosque, neighborhood women formed a collective resistance, gathering as human
shields around the mosque to help the militants escape. A 72-year old woman at the standoff, according to the
British newspaper The Guardian, said she felt empowered -- "young, useful, and ready to act."

Organizations have several tactical reasons to use women. Because women are stereotyped as nonviolent,
they might elicit less attention and thus execute a stealthier attack; there are also inherent sensitivities in
searching or questioning a woman, especially in many conservative Muslim societies; women can increase the
number of combatants in groups with depleted "man" power -- whether through joining the ranks themselves or
supplying a "jihad womb." Attacks executed by women confuse profilers and raise the fear factor within the
target group. Female bombers often bring greater publicity, and that may be a draw for more recruits.

In the Gaza case, the 70-year old Palestinian, Fatma Najar, apparently worked for Hamas to carry food, water,
and ammunition to the resistance at the front line. Affected by the ubiquitous stress of military occupation and
loss of family members, she blew herself up to kill several Israeli soldiers during an Israeli incursion into the
Gaza Strip. After Najar's martyrdom, another woman in Gaza, age 65, stated there are "at least 20 of us who
want to put on the [suicide] belt . . . Now is the time [for] women. Now the old women have found a use for
themselves."

Female suicide terrorism is not new. One-third of the members of the Sri Lankan Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) are women who, in addition to suicide bomb missions, have duties on the battlefield, in the
kitchen, and in medical camps. The Chechen Black Widows female suicide bombers led 12 suicide attacks that
killed 330 people in two years. An Iraqi woman linked to Al Qaeda in Iraq attempted suicide at a hotel wedding
reception in Jordan, and other reports of Zarqawi-linked perpetrators have surfaced in Baghdad and Fallujah. In
the Palestinian territories, the groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad witnessed a surge in female
bombers during the intifadahs. Syrian nationalists and Kurdish separatists operate in this way, and women in
Uzbekistan, Turkey, Lebanon, and Egypt have also joined the terror ranks.

Perhaps the increased role of women in supporting terrorism is a passing phenomenon. But when
counterterrorism experts estimate their opponents' capabilities and techniques, it behooves them to think about
what is happening in the women's locker room. Equally as important, we should strive to give Muslim women
across the globe other outlets for empowerment and the opportunity to contribute to countering terrorism in
their societies.

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Loading “The growing role of women in terrorism - The Boston Globe” 12/14/2006 08:48 PM

Policymakers should also consider how women from Western societies can play a greater role in counter
terrorism. After all, the element of surprise works both ways. We should incorporate more women in our
intelligence fields who might more stealthily get behind enemy lines to gather information. A number of
scholars, including the women and men who are my colleagues at the Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism
Studies, are working hard to understand women's role in terrorism and counter terrorism. We hope that the US
government is too.

Paula Broadwell is a PhD student at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and the deputy
director of the Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism Studies at Tufts University's Fletcher School.

© Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

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