Students in Bruges study role of women in extremism
A group of master’s students staged a campaign that aimed to draw attention to the active role played by radicalised women, and the dangers to society of ignoring their agency
Women at war
Far from being women’s or gender studies majors, these 10 students, who come from such countries as Ireland, Sweden, Germany and the Czech Republic, were completing a master’s in EU international relations and diplomacy at the College of Europe in Bruges. The campaign they launched was specifically focused on the role played by women in radicalisation and terrorism.
“Many people believe radicalisation and extremism to be something that is purely a male phenomenon, that only men are able to be radicalised and only men carry out acts of violence,” says Jessica Ní Mhainín, one of two co-leaders on the She Is Her(e) project. “But this is completely not true and especially not in relation to ISIS.”
One-dimensional view
The misconceptions about women’s roles appear to stem from an overall flawed misunderstanding of extremism, says the 24-year-old. “I think radicalisation and extremism is something that’s viewed quite simplistically all over, but I think women are particularly victims of this.”
According to a She is Here(e) infographic, the women who have joined IS fill a variety of roles. They are wives to jihadi fighters, they give birth to and raise the next generation of fighters, and they recruit new women to the group.
Many people believe radicalisation and extremism to be something that is purely a male phenomenon
This one-dimensional depiction of women as only victims is important because it has a cost, Ní Mhainín explains. “It allows them to circumvent the intelligence of the police because they’re not given agency. Or if they’re caught, it must be because she was married to this person, or because her brother was involved in it – and that’s often not the case.”
Belgium remains the country with the highest number of citizens fighting in Syria per capita, with most of those 470 youths having left from cities like Brussels, Antwerp and Vilvoorde in the summer of 2013.
Local news coverage of these foreign fighters has portrayed them exclusively as young men, which statistically is not possible. According to 2016 figures from The Hague-based International Centre for Counter Terrorism, 17% of the foreign fighters from the EU are women, which suggests at least 80 women have left Belgium to fight in Syria.
“While women are involved, men are usually at the forefront; they’re usually the ones that carry out the attacks,” Ní Mhainín continues. She notes that a lot of the news coverage of recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels has consequently focused on the perpetrators and failed to throw light on their support network – the people who supplied them with money or technical help – and that’s where women most often come in to play.
Countering hate
After carefully researching their topic at the end of 2016, and with assistance from the school’s faculty, they created a dedicated Facebook page and Twitter account, produced several Q&A videos and a campaign video, compiled infographics and organised an event at the College of Europe. It was all with one aim: to raise awareness that women are also perpetrators of terrorism.
They did all this as part of a regional competition organised by the 57-nation Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe that was simultaneously part of Facebook’s P2P (Peer to Peer): Challenging Extremism initiative. P2P invites university students from around the world to design and implement a social or digital initiative, product or tool to counter hate and extremism.
ISIS is also focused on state building, and they think women are necessary for that, and I think that’s what a lot of people don’t realise
Although She Is Her(e) largely focuses on radical Islamism, the videos and posts all emphasise the role played by women rather than by “Muslim women”. The students, none of whom had personal experience with or knowledge of radicalisation, were acutely aware of the larger stakes, explains Ní Mhainín.
The European Network Against Racism, for instance, warned in an expansive 2016 report that prejudices against and stereotypical representations of Muslim women as oppressed or dangerous create a breeding ground for discriminatory practices and violence against them.
Noting that one of the Q&A videos also discussed the role played by Chechen female suicide bombers in Russia, she says: “We wanted to open it up to make sure that it was known that this is not something that is specific to ISIS and Islamism. In terms of focusing on Muslims, we were acutely aware of falling into traps.”
Still, although there are historical precedents, Ní Mhainín says, ISIS is also different from previous terrorist groups.
“Unlike Al-Qaeda, who were mainly focused on terrorist activity, ISIS is also focused on state building, and they think women are necessary for that, and I think that’s what a lot of people don’t realise,” she says. “This is one of the reasons why, right now, in terms of Islamist extremism, women are being targeted by ISIS.”
Photo: Filming a campaign video for She Is Her(e)
