Women, Gender, and Terrorism This page intentionally left blank SERIES EDITORS josef joffe Hoover Institution, Institute gary k. bertsch for International Studies, University Professor of Public and Stanford University International Affairs and Director of the Center for International Trade lawrence j. korb and Security, University of Georgia Center for American Progress howard j. wiarda william j. long Dean Rusk Professor of International Sam Nunn School of Relations and Head of the International Affairs, Georgia Department of International Affairs, Institute of Technology University of Georgia jessica tuchman mathews Carnegie Endowment for SERIES ADVISORY BOARD International Peace pauline h. baker scott d. sagan The Fund for Peace Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University eliot cohen Paul H. Nitze School of lawrence scheinman Advanced International Studies, Monterey Institute of International Johns Hopkins University Studies, CNS -WDC eric einhorn david shambaugh Center for Public Policy and The Elliott School of Administration, University International Affairs, George of Massachusetts, Amherst Washington University john j. hamre jessica stern The Center for Strategic and John F. Kennedy School of International Studies Government, Harvard University This page intentionally left blank WOMEN, GENDER, and TERRORISM Edited by LAURA SJOBERG AND CARON E. GENTRY The University of Georgia Press Athens & London Miranda Alison’s essay “‘In the war front we never think that we are women’: Women, Gender, and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam” is derived from Women and Political Violence, by Miranda Helen Alison, © 2009 Routledge. Reproduced by permission of Taylor and Francis Books, U.K. © 2011 by the University of Georgia Press Athens, Georgia 30602 www.ugapress.org All rights reserved Designed by Walton Harris Set in 10/14 Adobe Caslon Pro Printed and bound by Thomson-Shore The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources. Printed in the United States of America 15 14 13 12 11 p 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Women, gender, and terrorism / edited by Laura Sjoberg and Caron E. Gentry. â p.â cm. — (Studies in security and international affairs) Includes index. isbn 978-0-8203-3583-4 (cloth : alk. paper) — isbn 978-0-8203-4038-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Violence in women. 2. Violence in women—Case studies. 3. Political violence. 4. Global politics. I. Sjoberg, Laura, 1979– II. Gentry, Caron E. hq1233.w593 2011 303.6’25082—dc23ââââ 2011016411 British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data available To (and for) our colleagues, cohorts, and friends without whom our careers would not be possible and our lives would be less complete This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Forewordâ xi Russell D. Howard Acknowledgmentsâ xiii Introduction. Women, Gender, and Terrorismâ 1 Laura Sjoberg, Grace D. Cooke, and Stacy Reiter Neal part one. Historical Perspectives on Women and Terrorism The Mujahidaat: Tracing the Early Female Warriors of Islamâ 29 Farhana Qazi The Gendering of Women’sT errorismâ 57 Caron E. Gentry and Laura Sjoberg part two. Women, Terrorism, and Contemporary Conflicts Zombies versus Black Widows: Women as Propaganda in the Chechen Conflictâ 83 Alisa Stack Aatish-e-Chinar: In Kashmir, Where Women Keep Resistance Aliveâ 96 Swati Parashar The Committed Revolutionary: Reflections on a Conversation with Leila Khaledâ 120 Caron E. Gentry x CONTENTS “In the war front we never think that we are women”: Women, Gender, and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelamâ 131 Miranda Alison part three. Women, Gender, and al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda’s Use of Female Suicide Bombers in Iraq: A Case Studyâ 159 Jennie Stone and Katherine Pattillo The Neo-Orientalist Narratives of Women’s Involvement in al-Qaedaâ 176 Caron E. Gentry Blinded by the Explosion? Security and Resistance in Muslim Women’s Suicide Terrorismâ 194 Katherine E. Brown Conclusion. The Study of Women, Gender, and Terrorismâ 227 Laura Sjoberg Contributorsâ 241 Indexâ 245 FOREWORD Russell D. Howard On December 13, 2009, a female suicide bomber attacked a police and cia compound building in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing eleven people. She ran into a housing complex where officers lived and detonated a bomb attached to her body. Her attack was associated with attempts to thwart a Pakistani military attack on a Taliban mountain stronghold. The increased presence of women in the high-profile activities of al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations across the world — in both kinetic and supporting roles — presents unique challenges for counterterrorism professionals, policy makers, and academic analysts. Helping to work through these challenges is Women, Gender, and Terrorism, a timely and topical compilation of articles authored by an eclectic group of female terrorism experts. These selections were compiled by Jennie Stone, a re- cent recipient of a master’s degree in law and diplomacy at the Fletcher School, Tufts University, and a lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve who now works at the mitre Corporation. The genesis of this book was a grant from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation to the Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism Studies, which culminated in an April 2007 conference at the Fletcher School entitled “Women and al-Qaeda.” Several of this work’s authors — Farhana Qazi, Alisa Stack, Caron Gentry, and Swati Parashar — presented papers at the conference. Stone planned and executed the conference with assistance from contributors Katherine Pattillo and Stacy Reiter Neal. Both the conference and the scholarly work conducted by its participants were received with such enthusiasm that it made good sense to the conference organizers at the Jebsen Center and the Bradley Foundation to complete the enterprise with a published work. xi xii FOREWORD Women, Gender, and Terrorism is not light fare. Instead, it is a comprehensive and factual recounting of the many varied — and often overlooked — aspects of women as terrorists, suicide bombers, supporters of terrorists, and even wives of terrorists. It also examines how women play an important role in counterter- rorist activity. By examining the issue of gender in terrorism through women’s involvement in terrorist activities, these articles make a valuable contribution to the expanding field of counterterrorism studies. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This book originated at a conference hosted by the Jebsen Center for Counter- Terrorism Studies at Tufts University and has grown from there. Its completion would not have been possible without the hard and dedicated work of its con- tributors, General Howard, Jennie Stone, and others previously affiliated with the Jebsen Center. This book project has benefited from the financial, institu- tional, and creative support of the Boston Consortium for Gender, Security, and Human Rights; the Women and Public Policy Program at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; the Feminist Theory and Gender Studies section of the International Studies Association; the Department of Political Science at the University of Florida; and the Department of Political Science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. This volume also would not exist if it hadn’t been for the help and dedication of Nancy Grayson, our (totally amazing) editor at the University of Georgia Press or the press’s excellent collection of work in security studies, of which we are honored to be a part. We are indebted to comments by anonymous reviewers that have made this manuscript stronger and more coherent. As we prepared this manuscript, the book’s contributors’ dialogues were interesting and exciting. We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for the University of Georgia Press, who strengthened this manuscript substantially. From Caron: Involvement in this project, from the conference hosted by the Jebsen Center to the various chapters I wrote for it to editing it, stems from various professional and personal relationships forged during my PhD to the current stage in my career. A special thanks to John Harrison for putting me in contact with Russell Howard, who then invited a young scholar to participate in a conference that opened many doors for her. As always, Laura has been a champion of mine and for all feminist work in international relations. Thank you for your effort in bringing this volume to completion. The interview with Leila Khaled was done while I was still a PhD candidate at the University of xiii xiv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS St. Andrews. Financial support for that trip was made possible through the Department of International Relations and the Post-Graduate Student Travel Award Committee at St. Andrews. The interview never would have taken place if Anders Strindberg hadn’t put me in touch with Leila — thank you for your trust. And I want to thank Leila for trusting me, being honest with me, and al- lowing me a glimpse into her life. I can only hope that I have represented your life faithfully. A special thanks goes to Dr. Kristina Campos who introduced me to the theorists I draw on in “The Neo-Orientalist Narratives of Women’s Involvement in al-Qaeda” — what a great coach you were on this project! More importantly, I am fortunate to call you friend. And to the Kinzels, David, Peggy, and Jason, my home away from home for much of my life, thank you for letting me read to you early drafts of this essay and for your excellent sug- gestions. Finally, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the support that Abilene Christian University, my former academic home, gave to me. As an institution, it provided me with the means necessary to pursue this project. The Political Science department was also always a supportive and encourag- ing place to be and I want to specifically thank Drs. Mel Hailey and David Dillman for their confidence in me. From Laura: First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to my coeditor Caron Gentry, whom I am elated to have had an opportunity to work with again.