WUNRN
Women Without Borders
CAN MOTHERS STOP TERRORISM?
By
Nona Walia
13 May 2013 - Social scientist and activist Dr Edit Schlaffer affirms so.
She tells Nona Walia why mothers have the power to stop radicalisation of their
children, and make this world a peaceful place.
Recent reports suggest that the Boston Marathon bombers'
mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, had a fair knowledge about her children's radical
ideas, though she may not have known about the act of terror. The question is
had she known, could she deter her sons from their deadly plan? Dr Edit
Schlaffer may answer in the affirmative. The Austrian social scientist and
gender activist believes that a mother can curb conflicts and extremist ideas
within her family. Through her organisation, Women Without Borders (WWB), she
tirelessly advocates empowering women as the biggest agents of change in every
society. Her more recent project, Sisters Against Violent Extremism (SAVE), is
the first global women anti-terror platform that encourages women, especially
mothers, to deter violent terrorist activities and radicalisation of their
children. "Mothers are strategically located at the core of their families
and are, therefore, typically the first to deal with their children's fear,
resignation, frustration and anger," says Schlaffer.
Excerpts from Interview:
How effective can a mother be
in stopping extremist thinking within her family? I have learned during many of
my encounters with women around the globe that the potential of mothers has
thus far been neglected in counter terrorism strategy. The primary focus has
rested instead on military operations, intelligence and law enforcement. Since
women — and mothers in particular — possess the unique ability to recognise
early warning signs of radicalisation in their children, they can play a key
role in curtailing violent extremism. First and foremost, mothers have to be
equipped with the necessary knowledge and self-confidence to become active
players in the security arena. This is where our work starts: we aim at
sensitising mothers to make them aware of their potential in influencing and
guiding their children's lives, and in preventing them from engaging in
terrorist activities.
How can a mother stop her child from taking the wrong path? Children
tend to listen only to their mothers when they see them as figures of respect
and authority. Yet in many of the communities within which we work, this is not
always the case. We therefore focus on concepts of self-confidence, competence
and empowerment. Mothers need to first establish a position of authority within
their families; a child only respects the mother when her position is not
challenged by her husband or friends or society as a
whole.
You have worked with mothers of suicide bombers. Are they just helpless
bystanders? During my recent visit to the West Bank, I talked to a woman by
the name of Salma, a mother of two adolescent boys. The tragedy of her eldest
son Ali — who turned himself into a live bomb — still looms over her. Today,
Salma admits that something was terribly wrong. Confronted with this situation
for the first time, she turned to her husband for advice, who in turn told her
that women have no place in politics. Much later, she learned that two of her
close neighbours shared her concerns. They too lacked the courage to speak up
and the space to voice their concerns. Salma responded to her loss by creating
a safe space for mothers in her own home, where she
could encourage open communication and help foster deeper mother-son
relationships. Mothers like Salma are challenging the notion of Palestinian
mothers who welcome their sons' martyrdom. Salma embodies the new heroes
combating violent extremism at the frontlines.
So strengthening of the mother-son bond is essential to end conflict? Yes.
For instance, Esther Ibanga, a Christian pastor and
community leader in Nigeria is currently working with us on bridgebuilding
activities. Following the violence between Christians and Muslims on the Jos
plateau in recent years, she decided to do something particularly courageous:
Esther went against her own constituency by reaching out to both sides and
calling for an end to the bloodshed. By engaging with both sides, she began to
see similarities between the two antagonistic religious communities. She became
close to Khadija Hawaja, an Islamic scholar and community leader. Esther
realised that they were both mothers who shared the same pain and dreams.
Today, they work tirelessly to show the human face of the 'other side' and to
create safe havens in their homes and communities.
You have interacted with the mother of convicted 9/11 terrorist Zacarias
Moussaoui. What is the personal face of public terrorist tragedies? Zacarias
was the first person to be convicted in the US for his involvement in the 9/11
attacks. His mother Aisha reached out to the 9/11 victims' family members after
the attacks, a unique gesture in an atmosphere of
global hostility and fear. Aisha has spoken passionately about the need to
break the cycle of revenge, and engaging mothers worldwide in their search for
alternatives. She emphasises that Prophet Mohammed celebrates mothers; he
insists that their role is vital in the upbringing of their sons in accordance
with the values of true Islamic teaching that does not preach hatred or
violence.
What are the driving forces in stabilising an insecure world? We are
currently launching 'mother school' programmes around the world, from Tajikistan to Indonesia, from Northern Ireland to India.
The programme aims to e q u i p wo m e n with the appropriate tools to raise
delicate issues within their families. In India, for example, a woman named
Archana Kapoor has founded a community radio station in Mewat, Haryana, that
reaches 5,00,000 listeners. Poverty, isolation and marginalisation make the
population susceptible and prone to violence. We need to stop conflict at the
very root; that will stop the making of a terrorist at the core of the family
level. "Women — and mothers in particular — possess the unique ability to
recognise early warning signs of radicalisation in their children. They can
play a key role in curtailing violent extremism"