Women must be empowered and educated to counter increasing trend of female suicide bombers

By Arshi Saleem Hashmi, Assistant Professor, National Defence University, Member SAVE Pakistan

How does an eight-year-old child react to the so-called injustices by the West against the “Muslim world”? Most probably by doing nothing, for it is beyond the capacity of a child of this age to comprehend and interpret justice and injustice. So when a group of women and men kidnapped and forced a girl of 8 years of age to wear a suicide jacket, she resisted. In her own little world, God is beautiful, caring and very loving. Dying to please that God is not something that fits well in her world. This is what happens when kids are kidnapped or taken from their parents by so-called religious groups and used as human bombs.

Women suicide bombers are not a new thing in Pakistan, although they are rare. The first case of a woman suicide bomber was in 2009 when a woman killed many in Peshawar. Then in December 2010, a woman killed 45 people who were queuing for food in the Bajur area in a suicide attack. In February 2011, again in the Bajur area, a woman suicide bomber was arrested. Though the number of women suicide bombers is very low, it is certainly a dangerous trend. According to the figures of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, more than 52 would-be female suicide bombers were arrested by the police and other law-enforcement agencies across Pakistan in 2010.

A girl captured in 2010 revealed on TV that she and her younger sister were told by her father and brother to give their life for God and in return they will go to heaven. The younger sister detonated the bomb, but the elder couldn’t do it and got arrested. In October 2004,a member of Lashkar-e-Jhanghvi,(LeJ) Gul Hasan, was arrested over suicide attacks against two Shiite mosques in Karachi. During investigations, he revealed that LeJ was planning to launch suicide attacks using female bombers. According to media reports, Hasan had reportedly trained two of his nieces, both students at a school in Karachi, to carry out suicide attacks without the consent of their parents. Gul’s wife, who is also said to have been a member of LeJ, made the girls leave their home for the “holy mission.” Their father searched for them and even filed a case with the police regarding their disappearance. The girls were arrested in Swat in June 2005.

Former female religious teachers of Lal Masjid, (Red mosque in Islamabad) have also been reported to have trained women to avenge the Lal Masjid operation. Bomber recruiters brainwashed female and male seminarians, below six to seven years of age, for jihad. Their families are generally told that they would undergo training, but those from the outskirts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi are generally kidnapped as their parents are not convinced that they should send their children for jihad. Religious groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Sahaba and a network of women working under the banner of Tehreek-e-Islami are all involved in using women as suicide bombers. Sometimes the target is military and sometimes it is against other sectarian groups.

Most of the time the young girls are forced to obey family elders, be it father, brother, or any other male family elder. They are supposed to accept what they are being told. Such women and young girls are unfortunate members of families who are sympathetic towards militants or are actively involved in militancy. The women have no choice of their own. Contrary to other parts of the world, militancy in Pakistani women is not an independent phenomenon. They do not “decide” to become a terrorist but are forced to obey. This does not mean that every woman in Pakistan is forced to obey their families. Many urban educated families in particular have a different attitude. It is mostly in tribal areas that women are supposed to follow what they are told.

The gloomy scenario however does not mean that Pakistani women have surrendered to extremism and militancy. In fact they have been reacting against it whichever way it was possible. The girl who refused to wear the suicide jacket is an indication that religious extremism is unacceptable and it is mostly forced and not willingly approved. Last year in October, when Meera, a girl whose father and brother forced her to become suicide bomber, she not only refused, she came out in public and exposed the situation in front of the media. Women in urban and also rural areas have rejected the notion of Jihad through violent means. Those who are influenced are in the minority and despite their organized efforts they have not been able to actually recruit young girls and women in large numbers. Usually it is coercion or violence that made these girls follow the footsteps of male militants.

The struggle against violent extremism is obvious among women of all classes and regions in Pakistan. The school girls in Swat whose schools were destroyed by the Taliban came out with more enthusiasm despite the threat, and reminded the government that more than anything they needed their schools back. School class rooms are the best places to teach young minds about peaceful coexistence, tolerance and religious harmony. A rigorous revision of school syllabus for public schools will help in encouraging young children to be more tolerant towards other faiths. Mothers in these affected areas are now more vigilant of their children by keeping an eye on their association with any such group or people who could influence their young minds. Rather than long speeches which do not make sense to a common woman, small meetings in cities, town, and villages to discuss personal experiences would help women to take this message to hundreds of other women in their families and towns. This one step helps to create a chain of likeminded women who reject extremism not only for themselves but for their men as well as their children. Women have a powerful role to play. Their role in deterring violent extremism is even more powerful then the role of being an extremist. This is what SAVE believes and its “Mothers for Change” project essentially targets that. Once women are convinced that violent extremism is self destructive, they will be the best source to influence their children which will eventually contain militancy.

The social, political and security situation has not deterred the Pakistani women, they have never endorsed violent extremism and they will never support it. The more women become a target of violent extremism, the more they will react against it. Fortunately Pakistani media and civil society are backing the women who are challenging and questioning the dictates of the religious extremists.

Pakistani women do not “Decide” to become suicide bomber but they certainly have the courage to say NO to dying in the name of religion. They have decided that come what may, they will not surrender to violent extremism.

The Ghost of Terrorism in Yemen, by Fahmia al Fotih'

The whole Yemeni society was rocked last week when a high-school graduate blew himself up in front of the British ambassador convoy. Thank God that the ambassador was not hurt—only three passersby were slightly injured. It might be true that such a horrific act is not the first of its kind in Yemen, but the reactions of Yemeni people were outraged by such a crime that is considered a new phenomenon for Yemenis.


This looming act has occupied all the daily newspapers, TV and Radio programs, and even in ordinary people's chit-chats. Indeed, it has replaced and put off the heated debates on child brides issue that have been the most controversial topic in Yemen for weeks.


The attack was condemned nationwide by all the Yemeni society segments alike. I still remember my grandma' reaction: she held her head between her hands and exclaimed, "That young boy must be insane! He is going to hell!" At the moment, a group of students have started touring seven governorates to raise awareness about the threat that terrorism is posing among youth.


It might be true that the violent act was not the first of its kind in Yemen, but in a way it was surprising. People here were all caught up in and overwhelmed by their own problems, which has forced them to unconsciously forget about al-Qaeda and terrorists. But such time-to-time violent acts come to wake them up and remind them about the ghost that haunts us and which is more fatal!!


Until now, nobody has claimed the responsibility of the attack despite the fact that Yemeni security bodies have confirmed that the attack had al-Qaeda style. But I doubt that as first, the attacker had primitive explosive materials and second, we did not hear anything from al-Qaeda. If it was al-Qaeda, they would be boasting about it!!! It is not al-Qaeda style!! That increases our fears and worries.


Even more, it becomes obvious that it is difficult to identify what a terrorist looks like! I was staring into the photo of the young suicide bomber examining his facial features in attempt to find criminal hints. I have always thought that criminals and terrorists have “bad guy” marks and that they could be more or less recognized by their facial expressions and characteristics (I guess I am very much influenced by the bad guys in Hollywood movies). But Othman's face, the suicide bomber, had the same innocent features that I see in the majority of young people of his age! Carrying the school bag and pretending to jog had added more innocence to his character on the day of attack. That is why, I think, the master terrorists chose him for this dreadful act.


I have been reading and reading all the news related to Othman’s life and trying to analyze all stories that talked about Othman’s life. He excelled in his studies (usually terrorists tend to target and recruit smart young people). His father said that he did not know his son's friends and Othman used to spend periods away from home. It seems that there was a stage when there was no communication between the son and his parents. With whom did Othman stay in Marib, where he was supposedly trained as a terrorist? How did he end up in Marib? For sure, Othman must have gone through stages of radicalization. If a correct intervention was made at any stage, Othman might have not chosen the radical path that led to death. Othman's friends say that he did not have the guts to kill a fly!!! How was he then able to go and explode himself? Othman, according to the news, did not trigger the explosive but somebody else did it from far away.


Yet still I feel there is something missing and nobody can explain except for the ones who were close to him, like his mother. I am curious to meet his mother and learn more about him. It is essential to know and study the details and lives of these suicide bombers so we can learn how to protect more young people.


Without a doubt, there are many factors intertwined here. It is not just the family role here, there is also Othman's institute, which happens to be AL-Eman University, which is believed to be the extremists' academia. Was it a coincidence? It was reported that even the department which Othman was attending is teaching Islamic teachings and Shara'iah! The violent act carried out by one of its graduates has nothing to do with Islam. One of the core teachings of Islam is that life is valued, and taking one's own life is one of the biggest sins. Besides, the one who kills himself is guilty of a big crime.


There are ample misunderstandings about jihad and about Islam, and the majority of mosques reinforce these misconceptions. Add to that an educational curriculum that is full of jihad and calling for violence instead of highlighting the peaceful side of Islam that calls for tolerance and respecting the other. There is a dire need for overall reform for our school curricula, and our mosques need open-minded and tolerant preachers.


Yemenis already have enough problems and such violent acts only worsen the situation and make it more complicated. Strengthening security measures and carrying preemptive actions are not enough to dry up the terrorism sources and end up radicalization.


The attack of course has spread fear and terror among the foreigners as well as Yemenis but at the same time this case poses a number of question marks and challenges. Parents find themselves in a puzzle. Some wonder what the hell makes these young people finish their lives in a second at an age when they are just blossoming! Most importantly, parents start to seriously question how they can protect their young and their beloved ones from the ghost of terrorism and from falling in the hands of terrorists! Many questions that just leave one wondering: when will the day come when we can all live in a terror-free world?

"Death, Be Not Proud" by Ali Khan Mahmudabad

Submitted by Archana Kapoor
Previously published in The Times of India, January 21, 2010

Death, Be Not Proud:
The Use Of Suicide Bombing Has No Theological Support

Suicide attacks have been used in history by various cultures, and the motivation has not always been religious. Germans, Japanese, Sri Lankans and Vietnamese have used suicide attacks as a weapon in war but, in popular imagination, suicide attacks are irrevocably and primarily associated with Islamist militancy. The death tolls of suicide attacks have been rising exponentially and recent times perhaps have been the bloodiest in Pakistan's history. This has forced members of the ulema to address the problem of suicide attacks according to Islamic jurisprudence. Jurists have come out to unequivocally state that this form of fighting is absolutely impermissible.