Women Suicide Bombers

Farhana Ali talked about Muslim female fighters. She has charted an increase in suicide attacks by Muslim women since at least 2000 and in new theaters of operation including Uzbekistan, Egypt, and Iraq. She argues that these attacks are more devastating than those conducted by male jihadists due to the perception that women are unlikely to commit such acts. Therefore, they are more likely to be successful in part because the shock of their attacks draws far greater media attention than male bombers. Ms. Ali talked about the place of these women in Islamic history, their psychological profile, and the likely continuation of this trend. She responded to questions from members of the audience.

The talk “The Bomber Behind the Veil: Muslim Women and Violent Jihad” was presented at the International Spy Museum. close