Master’s Degree programme In Comparative International Relations “D.M. 270/2004” Final Thesis Women in Terrorism: A Journey from Sri Lanka To Syria Supervisor Prof. Stéphanie Novak Assistant supervisor Prof. Bruna Bianchi Graduand Valeria Maria D’Onghia Matriculation Number 865994 Academic Year 2017/2018 2 The price of your greed Is your son and your daughter What you gon' do When there's blood in the water Grandson – Blood // Water 3 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... 11 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 13 Thesis questions ................................................................................................... 15 Research ............................................................................................................... 16 Motivations .......................................................................................................... 17 Thesis structure .................................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER 1 ................................................................................................................... 21 History, Is It A Recent Phenomenon? ...................................................................... 21 Germany: the Baader-Meinhoff movement and its Western female leader ........ 22 Spain: ETA’s female activists’ violence covered by tactical propaganda ........... 23 Palestine: the religious sacrifice of The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine ............................................................................................................... 23 Female Suicide Bombing ..................................................................................... 24 A feminist perspective ......................................................................................... 25 Why Women? ............................................................................................................. 28 Tactical advantages .............................................................................................. 30 Beauty ........................................................................................................... 30 Men-pullers .................................................................................................. 31 Trustworthiness (for the terrorist group and for security checks) ................ 31 “Cultural protection” .................................................................................... 33 Devices concealing ....................................................................................... 33 Media attention ............................................................................................. 34 Attract children ............................................................................................. 35 Enhancement of the groups image ............................................................... 36 CHAPTER 2: THE LIBERATION TIGERS OF TAMIL EELAM (LTTE) .......... 37 5 Introduction and structure of the chapter ..................................................................... 37 The Dawn of LTTE ...................................................................................................... 39 The LTTE Structure .................................................................................................. 42 The Ground Forces .............................................................................................. 44 The Intelligence Wing ......................................................................................... 44 The Naval Wing ................................................................................................... 46 The Black Tigers .................................................................................................. 47 The Women’s Wing ............................................................................................. 48 The Air Force ....................................................................................................... 49 Other Forces ......................................................................................................... 50 The LTTE Political and International Wings ...................................................... 50 The Tamil Eelam ................................................................................................. 51 Media Sources ..................................................................................................... 52 Women in The Tamil’s Society ................................................................................. 53 Education ............................................................................................................. 53 Employment ......................................................................................................... 55 Legal status .......................................................................................................... 56 Family .................................................................................................................. 58 Testimonies .......................................................................................................... 60 Women to Follow ....................................................................................................... 62 Goddess Kannagi ................................................................................................. 62 Goddess Durga ..................................................................................................... 64 Annai Poopathy ................................................................................................... 66 Roles ............................................................................................................................ 69 Roles’ evolution in history ................................................................................... 70 Support ................................................................................................................. 71 6 Military ................................................................................................................ 72 Ground Forces .......................................................................................... 73 Sea Tigers ................................................................................................. 75 Black Tigers ............................................................................................. 76 Air Tigers ................................................................................................. 77 Intelligence Wing ..................................................................................... 78 Political ................................................................................................................ 78 Peace Talks .............................................................................................. 79 Motivations ................................................................................................................. 81 Female Motivations: a tripartite classification .................................................... 82 Social motivations ............................................................................................... 83 The need for education and a job ............................................................. 83 The opportunity to be important in the Tamil society ............................. 85 The desire to achieve human security ...................................................... 86 A kind of societal obligation to participate in the cause .......................... 87 Personal motivations ............................................................................................ 88 Family safety ............................................................................................ 88 Personal security, especially from rape ................................................... 89 Attraction from “the spirit of martyrdom” ............................................... 92 Idealistic motivations ........................................................................................... 95 Emancipation ........................................................................................... 95 Obtaining women’s rights (framed by the independence struggle) ......... 96 Liberate the homeland .............................................................................. 97 Other motivations ................................................................................................ 98 Revenge for the loss of a loved person .................................................... 98 7 Resignation .............................................................................................. 99 CHAPTER 3: THE ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ AND SYRIA (ISIS) ................. 101 Introduction and structure of the chapter ................................................................... 101 The origins of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) .......................................... 103 The structure ........................................................................................................ 106 Governance structure ........................................................................................