Enigma of Women in Terrorist Networks by Dr. M Ali Hamza 恐怖主义网络中的妇女之谜

Terrorism’s impact extends beyond immediate casualties, affecting geopolitics, international relations, and societal norms. Over the past century, terrorism has evolved into a complex global challenge, marked by ideological, political, and religious motivations. The early 20th century witnessed the rise of anarchist violence, while the latter half saw the emergence of nationalist and separatist movements. The late 20th century and early 21st century was defined by transnational jihadist terrorism, exemplified by events like 9/11. Governments worldwide implemented counterterrorism measures, yet new threats emerged, such as cyberterrorism. Alongside there is an emerging dimension, and that is an active participation of women in act of terrorism.

恐怖主义的影响不仅限于直接的伤亡，还影响到地缘政治、国际关系和社会规范。在过去的一个世纪里，恐怖主义已经演变成一个复杂的全球挑战，其特点是意识形态、政治和宗教动机。20世纪早期是无政府主义暴力的兴起，而后半叶则是民族主义和分离主义运动的出现 20世纪末和21世纪初是跨国圣战恐怖主义的产物，“9·11事件”就是例证。世界各国政府实施了反恐措施，但出现了新的威胁，如网络恐怖主义。与此同时，还有一个新的方面，那就是妇女积极参与恐怖主义行动。

Women’s involvement in terrorism is a multifaceted and often overlooked aspect of global security.

The traditional viewpoint considers women in a passive role like, providing only logistical support, shelter, food etc. to the terrorists or their accomplices.

妇女参与恐怖主义是全球安全的一个多方面的，常常被忽视的方面。传统观点认为妇女处于被动角色，例如只向恐怖分子或其同谋提供后勤资助、住所、食物等。

Lately, the rise of women is witnessed in active combat roles, and engagement in acts of violence.  Female-centric extremist groups have brought attention to the diversity of women’s roles in terrorism. Let’s have a look into few examples from the recent past.

最近，妇女参与积极战斗和暴力行为的人数增加。以女性为中心的极端主义团体使人们注意到妇女在恐怖主义中所起作用的多样性。让我们来看看最近的几个例子。

Hasna Aït Boulahcen; a woman linked to the November 2015 Paris attacks. Aït Boulahcen, a French-Moroccan national, was not directly involved in carrying out the attacks but provided shelter to Abaaoud; the mastermind of Paris attacks. But a police raid at her apartment, resulting in a standoff during which Aït Boulahcen detonated a suicide vest, killing herself and contributing to the overall casualties. That turned out to be an active engagement of women in terrorism.

Hasna Aït Boulahcen，一名与2015年11月“巴黎袭击案”有关的女子。AïtBoulahcen，法国-摩洛哥国民，没有直接参与实施袭击，但为Abaaoud（“巴黎袭击”的主谋）提供庇护，但警方突袭了她的公寓，导致双方僵持不下，其间aït Boulahcen引爆了自杀背心自杀身亡，并导致了整体伤亡。 事实证明，这是妇女积极参与恐怖主义。

Another example is Tashfeen Malik, who, along with her husband Syed Rizwan Farook, carried out the San Bernardino shooting in December 2015. The attack occurred at a social services centre in San Bernardino, California, leaving 14 people dead and 22 others injured.Tashfeen Malik, a Pakistani national, had entered the United States on a fiancée visa and later obtained a Green Card. The couple was reportedly radicalized and motivated by extremist ideologies. The attack marked a significant instance where a woman was directly involved in planning and executing a terrorist act on US soil.

另一个例子是塔什芬·马利克，她与丈夫赛义德1里兹万·法鲁克一起实施了2015年12月的圣贝纳迪诺枪击案。 袭击发生在加州圣贝纳迪诺的一个社会服务中心，造成14人死亡、22人受伤。巴基斯坦国民Tashfeen Malik曾持未婚妻签证进入美国，后来获得绿卡。据报告，这对夫妇是激进分子，受到极端主义意识形态的驱使。这次袭击标志着一名妇女直接参与策划和执行在美国领土上的恐怖行为的重要事例。

Tashfeen’s case challenges the traditional perceptions that often associate women solely with passive or supportive roles within extremist activities. The same case also tells that a normal sensible couple can switch to a terror friendly behavior just because of the content they watch or read. One another example of a woman involved in terrorism is Naureen Leghari. In 2017, Naureen Leghari, a medical student, was arrested for allegedly planning a suicide bombing on behalf of ISIS. It was reported that she had been radicalized online and had joined ISIS. The security forces in Pakistan foiled her plan and arrested her before any attack could take place. Naureen Leghari’s case illustrates how individuals get involved in extremist activities through online platforms. Therefore, people who speak against the censorship of extremist or fanatical content online needs to reconsider their stance.

Tashfeen的案件挑战了传统观念，这种观念往往将妇女仅仅与极端主义活动中的被动或支持性角色联系在一起。 同样的案例也告诉我们，一对正常理智的夫妇可以仅仅因为他们观看或阅读的内容而转变为一种对恐怖友好的行为。 另一个妇女参与恐怖主义的例子是Naureen Leghari，2017年，医科学生Naureen Leghari因据称代表伊斯兰国策划自杀式爆炸而被捕。据报道，她在网上被激进化，并加入了伊斯兰国，巴基斯坦安全部队挫败了她的计划，并在任何袭击发生之前逮捕了她。Naureen Leghari的案件说明了个人如何通过网络平台卷入极端主义活动。因此，在网上发言反对审查极端主义或狂热内容的人需要重新考虑自己的立场。

After her husband’s death, Lewthwaite reportedly became involved with Al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group in Somalia. She was suspected of playing a role in planning and financing terrorist activities. While she has not been directly linked to acts of violence herself, she remains a significant figure associated with terrorism. Lewthwaite’s case features the women engagement in terror financing. Security experts and scholars need to probe more in this possibility.

据报道，在她丈夫死后，Lewthwaite加入了索马里伊斯兰激进组织青年党。她涉嫌参与策划和资助恐怖活动。虽然她本人与暴力行为没有直接联系，但她仍然是与恐怖主义有关的重要人物。Lewthwaite的案件突出了这名妇女参与资助恐怖活动的特点。安全专家学者们需要在这种可能性中多加探究。

Maimuna Abdul Majid, also known as Norjana Sihab is another example of women actively spreading terror. She was a Filipino woman and a member of the extremist group Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist militant organization based in the southern Philippines. Abu Sayyaf is notorious for its involvement in kidnappings, bombings, and other acts of terrorism. Thus, Maimuna Abdul Majid was implicated in various activities related to terrorism, including her alleged participation in the kidnapping of foreign nationals.

Maimuna Abdul Majid，又名Norjana Sihab，是妇女积极传播恐怖的另一个例子。她是一名菲律宾妇女，是极端组织阿布沙耶夫的成员，阿布沙耶夫是一个总部设在菲律宾南部的伊斯兰激进组织。阿布沙耶夫因参与绑架，爆炸和其他恐怖主义行为而臭名昭著。因此，Maimuna Abdul Majid涉嫌参与与恐怖主义有关的各种活动，包括涉嫌参与绑架外国国民。

Shari Baloch alias Bramsh; a highly educated female suicide bomber killed three Chinese teachers in Karachi, working at Confucius Institute, along with their local driver. The target was Chinese nationals. Remember that Confucius Institutes are a key part of China’s soft diplomacy strategies across the world. The blow threatened a major segment of Beijing’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, a $65 billion network of roads, railways, pipelines and ports in Pakistan that will connect China to the Arabian Sea and help Islamabad expand and modernise its economy. The Baloch National Army (BLA), a banned group, claimed responsibility for the attack, underscoring the alarming trend of women being strategically employed as agents of terrorism in geopolitical conflicts and separatist movements worldwide.

Shari Baloch别名Bramsh， 一名受过高等教育的女性自杀式炸弹袭击者在卡拉奇炸死了三名在孔子学院工作的中国教师，以及他们当地的司机，目标是中国公民。记住，孔子学院是中国在世界范围内的软外交战略的一个重要组成部分。 这一打击威胁到中国政府提出的“一带一路”基础设施建设计划的一个主要部分。这是一个650亿美元的巴基斯坦公路，铁路，管道和港口网络，将连接中国和阿拉伯海，并帮助伊斯兰堡扩大经济规模和实现经济现代化。被取缔的团体俾路支国民军(BLA)声称对这次袭击负责，这突出表明妇女被战略性地用作世界各地地缘政治冲突和分离主义运动中的恐怖主义代理人这一令人震惊的趋势。

The example Brenda Ann Spencer is also important to consider. In 1979, at the age of 16, Spencer carried out a shooting at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California. She opened fire on the school from her house across the street, killing two adults and injuring eight children and a police officer. Though her motives weren’t explicitly religious, Spencer’s troubled background and later statements revealed a troubled individual with a fascination for violence. This incident serves as a reminder that terrorism and violent acts can manifest due violent films and movies that fascinate youngsters to fire bullets and shoot down people. It is not only men who can be trapped into the charm and attraction toward violence but girls also posses this inclination.

布兰达·安·斯宾塞的例子也是值得考虑的。1979年，16岁的斯宾塞在加州圣地亚哥的格罗弗克利夫兰小学实施了枪击案。她从街对面的房子向学校开火，打死两名成人，打伤八名儿童和一名警察。尽管斯宾塞的动机并不是明确的宗教信仰，但她的麻烦背景和后来的陈述都揭示了她是一个对暴力有迷恋的麻烦人物。这一事件提醒人们，恐怖主义和暴力行为可以表现出应有的暴力电影和吸引青少年开枪射人的电影。 不仅是男人会陷入暴力的魅力和吸引力中，女孩也有这种倾向。

To mitigate women’s involvement in terrorism, the governments and strategists must aim at prevention, intervention, and rehabilitation. Education and awareness, community engagement, cultural and religious meet-ups and psychosocial support are popular ways to address the issue. Besides generic solutions, the gender inclusive research in the context of terrorism is a need of the time. Conducting research on the gender dimensions of terrorism and radicalization helps policymakers better understand the specific challenges and vulnerabilities faced by women. This knowledge informs more targeted and effective interventions.

为了减少妇女参与恐怖主义，政府和战略制定者必须着眼于预防、干预和康复。教育和提高认识、社区参与、文化和宗教会议——联合包裹服务公司（美）以及心理社会支持是解决这一问题的普遍方法 除了一般性的解决办法外，在恐怖主义背景下进行性别包容的研究也是时代的需要。就恐怖主义和激进化的性别层面开展研究有助于决策者更好地了解妇女面临的具体挑战和脆弱性。这一知识有助于采取更有针对性和更有效的干预措施。

After objective studies, the Gender-Sensitive Counterterrorism Policies are vitally needed. Developing counterterrorism policies that consider gender-specific dynamics is crucial. This includes recognizing the different roles women may play in extremist activities and tailoring strategies to address these roles effectively. Moreover, Establishing and enforcing legal frameworks that address terrorism while respecting human rights is crucial. Rehabilitation programs for individuals who have been radicalized, including women, aim to reintegrate them into society through counselling, education, and vocational training are indispensably required.

经过客观研究，必须制定对性别问题有敏感认识的反恐政策。制定考虑到性别动态的反恐政策至关重要。这包括认识到妇女在极端主义活动中可能发挥的不同作用，并制定有效处理这些作用的战略。此外，建立和执行在尊重人权的同时处理恐怖主义问题的法律框架至关重要。 为包括妇女在内的激进分子制定康复方案，旨在通过咨询，教育和职业培训使他们重新融入社会，这是必不可少的。

Once all this done, then media literacy programs come in play. Media literacy initiatives teach individuals, including women, to critically analyze and interpret information. This helps counter the impact of extremist propaganda and recruitment efforts online.

一旦这一切都完成了，媒体素养项目就会发挥作用。媒体扫盲倡议教导个人，包括妇女，批判性地分析和解释信息。 这有助于对抗极端主义分子在网上的宣传和招募活动的影响。

Acknowledging women’s role is vital for comprehensive security efforts. Examining the motivations behind women’s involvement, whether ideological, personal, or systemic, is essential for developing targeted prevention and intervention programs. Addressing the complex intersection of gender and terrorism requires a nuanced approach that recognizes the diverse roles women play in shaping the landscape of global security.

承认妇女的作用对于全面安全努力至关重要。研究妇女参与的动机，无论是意识形态的、个人的、还是系统的，对于制定有针对性的预防和干预方案至关重要。要解决性别与恐怖主义的复杂交叉问题，就需要采取一种细致入微的办法，承认妇女在塑造全球安全格局方面发挥的不同作用。