Radicalism in Europe, and in particular in the Netherlands and Belgium , is markedly and disturbingly on the rise. Thus far, this radicalism has focused primarily on the recruitment of ‘Western’-looking converts, mostly men. However, of late, that profile has changed to the inclusion of women jihadists.
Various politicians?to include Somali-born Dutch MP Ms. Ayaan Hirsi Ali who is an women’s right advocate and wrote the script for the controversial short film Submisison, for which Theo Van Gogh was killed ?have been targets of this European jihad movement. A husband and wife team?Nourredien Fatmi and Soumaya Sahla?were thwarted in their plans to assassinate Hirsi in the summer of 2005. Hirsi’s position is tenuous; even she portends: “If I were to say the things that I say now in the Dutch Parliament in Somalia, I would be killed.”
Some 14 members of the notorious Hofsted Group are currently on trial. The trial’s proceedings have allegedly uncovered an increasing role for women, typically wives of militants, in the global jihad. Often this role involves plotting suicide missions either with or without their husbands. As this analyst has professed for some time, women are generally perceived as being a weaker sex and as incapable of such heinous crimes. These notions are far from the truth, and such beliefs have resulted in the successes achieved by female suicide bomber most recently on November 9, 2005 by Muriel Degauque but as far back as 1984 and back to Leila Khaled in 1969 (Terrorist Incident forthcoming) for post-modern female terrorism. Further, Dutch authorities continue to dismantle the Hofsted Group, arresting young European couples allegedly preparing to martyr themselves in Iraq .
Women have been participating actively in terrorism around the world for decades. In some cases, they have been founders and leaders of groups (like the Baader Meinhof Group and Japanese Red Army ); in other cases, they have found solace and protection in groups (like FARC ). Only recently, however, has the proliferation of female suicide bombers left the traditional locales?namely, Chechnya and the Palestinian Territories, and to a lesser extent Sri Lanka?for more news garnering places, like Iraq, Jordan , and Egypt .
As for the jihad coming to Europe, while law enforcement officers would have a very difficult time locating a Western, female, convert martyr prior to her detonation, the notion of a convert should be delved into. It is, perhaps, noteworthy that “almost all radical and violent networks dismantled in Europe during the last 10 years [1994-2004] had at least one convert” (source). A convert?male or female?to Islam is often more radical and committed than those born into Islam. Consequently, converts, who rarely have formal religious schooling but rather join into religion for camaraderie, a sense of belonging, and/or a sense of purpose and guidance, frequently practice more fundamental and stricter interpretations of religious edits, including the role for women. This, then, may preclude female suicide missions without male consent and instruction, neither of which al-Qaeda operatives have stomached too easily. This may leave the wives of al-Qaeda operatives sidelined, as they have mostly been thus far, to support roles.
However, this is not to say that European women converts would not attack. As witnessed by Degauque, women (in this case a convert for her husband) are aptly able to plan and execute a mission. Her willingness to die for her cause in Iraq?notably not in Europe?may be an indicator that the use of women martyrs has not been sanctioned from the al-Qaeda core leadership, as Degauque might have been more strategically used in unsuspecting mainland Europe. According to an unidentified French anti-terrorism official, “‘It would have been valuable operationally to have a Belgian blond’ for plots in Europe.” Further, the wives of imprisoned jihadists could also be precarious for security. Their mindset, much like that of the Chechen Black Widows (Intel Report), dictates that there is nothing left to live for and no one left to fight but them.
In conclusion, the discovery of additional adherents to the Hofsted Group and their relations should be concerning to security officials throughout Europe. These associates should be monitored and investigated for their possible complicity or independent planning of acts of terrorism. Specifically, the women associated to this jihadist network, and others like the Roubaix Gang (Group Profile forthcoming), should also come under the microscope, as they may not be as innocent as they appear.