WUNRN
ISIS TARGETING WOMEN WITH
GUIDES ON HOW TO BE THE “ULTIMATE WIVES” OF JIHADISTS
Photo
from video aimed specifically at women.
By Heather Saul – October 31, 2014
Guidelines for
women on how to be the ultimate wives of Isis fighters in Syria and Iraq are now being
distributed by the militant group's new media arm.
The Zora
Foundation is the latest Isis media group operating across social networks.
Isis (also known
as Islamic State) regularly release propaganda showing brutal executions and
violent atrocities, training regimes for fighters and threats to the West as
the US-led coalition air strikes continue.
But unlike most of
Isis' propaganda that addresses men and attempts to recruit them, this
specifically targets women supporting Islamist fighters by circulating advice
on how to be 'good wives of jihad'.
The organisation's
slogan is "preparing for the honour of jihad", with videos and tweets
explaining the ways in which women can contribute to Isis' insurgency. Its
social media accounts have already garnered over 2,000 followers after being
established just over two weeks ago.
Zora's material,
all of which is in Arabic, has been shared by Isis supporters across social
media.
Charlie Winter, a
researcher at counter-extremism think tank the Quilliam Foundation, said the
organisation is aimed at those preparing to go out and support the group, while
also acting as a facility for the women already out there.
He told The
Independent: "It’s kind of a guideline on how to be a good supporter
of jihad and have the best role in supporting 'your mujahidin' as a woman.
Videos
distributed by Zora advise women on how to care for fighters
"I haven't
seen anything like this before. There will probably be forums doing similar
things online, but this is the first time I've come across an actual media
organisation giving guidance to women on their role."
Zora's most recent
post was a recipe shared on the al-Zora Media Twitter account. Mr Winter said
the recipe was prefaced with the introduction: "To the victorious
supporters [of jihad] and the beloved muhajiraat [for example, women who go to
Syria], may Allah bless their efforts and reward them accordingly, we dedicate
this first recipe to the heroes on the front line."
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Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
http://www.rferl.org/content/islamic-state-can-brides-use-suicide-belts/27283961.html
ISIS TREATISE ON WIVES, FEMALE MILITANTS RE: DEFENSIVE, OFFENSIVE PERMITTED ROLES
October 2, 2015 - Can female Islamic State (IS) militants
be suicide bombers?
If so, where can they blow themselves up?
Under what circumstances can "jihadi brides"
shoot a sniper rifle? Or a Kalashnikov?
And what sewing skills should a would-be militant wife
possess?
All these questions and more are answered in a new
treatise issued this week by the Zora Foundation, a pro-IS media group aimed at
the wives and would-be wives of IS militants.
The treatise exploring the thorny issue of how and when
women can be involved in waging "jihad" was shared on Twitter.
"While this document is not an official declaration
of Islamic State policy towards the permissibility of women fighting, it is
certainly reflective of it," Charlie Winter, a senior researcher at the
counter-extremism think tank Quilliam, told RFE/RL.
Serving The Mujahedin
The treatise was written in response to a question from a
woman in Saudi Arabia who asked a scholar named Sheikh Abu Abdullah al-Mansur
whether women are allowed to take part in fighting, and how they should
"serve the mujahedin," or jihadi fighters.
A woman ought to support the mujahedin "according to
her abilities" -- "treating the sick, sewing, cooking, washing, or
any other measures," the treatise advises.
The
Zora Foundation treatise
On the more complicated issue of women on the
battlefield, the treatise explains that female militants are only allowed to
fight in a defensive capacity. In other words, women cannot be used suicide
bombers in an offensive operation -- except if they are granted permission by
their "amir," or commander.
However, women are allowed to use suicide belts --
assuming of course that they have one on hand -- in cases where they must
defend themselves.
For example, a female IS militant would be allowed to
blow herself up -- or, failing that, use weapons to defend herself -- if her
home were raided.
And should a woman happen to be wearing a suicide belt
when "Kuffar" (infidels) attacked a hospital or other public place
where she is present, she would be permitted to detonate herself there too.
Women, Know Your Limits
According to Winter, the guidelines "unambiguously
clarify" the position of IS's female recruits. "Women may not engage
in offensive operations unless otherwise designated by the amir; while they are
allowed to use guns, and even blow themselves up, this is only permitted in a
defensive capacity," Winter said.
Much of the reasoning behind the guidelines seems
designed to maintain rigid gender roles and to prevent women from mixing with
men.
A woman may, for example, use a sniper rifle -- but only
in a "solitary place" and even then only with their commander's
permission.
And women are, of course, prohibited from "mixing
with the army" because of the "corruption" this would lead to,
the guidelines say.
Study Sewing, Nursing, Cooking -- And Weaponry
Women are advised to prepare themselves for
"jihad" by studying skills that will help them be useful to male
militants, such as nursing, cooking, and sewing.
"Jihadi brides" are also allowed to study
weaponry -- as long as they are learning how to use weapons for self-defense,
such as "a revolver or a Kalashnikov."
Another useful skill women should master, the guidelines
say, is how to make suicide belts and hand grenades.
But all this training must only be carried out in the
presence of a "mahram," or chaperone, and in single-sex settings.
"There is no problem with women meeting in order to
train with weapons, as long as they are far away from men," the guidelines
instruct.
And a woman is allowed to partake in physical exercise as
long as she does so in order to "strengthen her body, cure an illness, or
in the presence of righteous women."
Of course, women must wear "loose, covering
clothes" when exercising and be "far from the eyes of men." To
reinforce the point on appropriate clothing, the guidelines point out that
women must dress before leaving the house.
Founded in the fall of 2014, the Zora Foundation has previously issued guidelines on how to prepare female IS
recruits for jihad, including how to cook and sew for militants, how to use
editing programs to help spread IS propaganda, and how to administer first
aid.
The English translation of the Arabic treatise was provided by Charlie Winter of the Quilliam Foundation