ANALYSIS OF GENDER RADICALIZATION IN THE FORM OF MILITARISM IN AFRICAN WOMEN: THE CASE OF WOMEN JOINING AL-SHABAAB
Volume 2, Issue 3, Pp 48-54, 2024
DOI: 10.61784/tsshr2004
Author(s)
Shakir Ullah1,*, Zaheer Udin Baber2
Affiliation(s)
1 Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
2 International & Regional Studies, School of Foreign Studies, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, Hubei, China.
Corresponding Author
Shakir Ullah
ABSTRACT
In this article we investigate the process of recruitment of African women in Al-Shabaab as militants. The case is a greater development in processes of gender radicalization in dynamics of twenty 1st century that women playing a Jihadist militant role. We founded the bulk of researches on the problem but almost researches are focused on victimization of women by militant organizations as well as giving more emphasis on men recruitment and role in militant organizations. The major questions as we have risen in this study as how did women motivated to join Al-Shabaab? And further, we answered the question that: how women did played militant role in Al-Shabaab? Furthermore, this study ensures an inductive reasoning and bottom to up analysis of women role in Al-Shabaab. We selected a case of Al-Shabaab in the study in hand, due to women are autonomously and actively participating in Al-Shabaab being combatants and non-combatants. We founded unexplored space and role for women in Al-Shabaab. It might everyone knows that Al-Shabaab is very effective militant cum-political organization among African militant and resurgence groups. Across Africa, women are joining Al-Shabaab. It has members from diverse African nations. Al-Shabaab assigns them variety of jobs, it includes; combatant as well as noncombatant jobs. Moreover, this research is very significant in term of academic development as it explores the unexplored dimension of Al-Shabaab in academic circles.
KEYWORDS
Militarism; Recruitment; Indoctrination; Training; Combatants
CITE THIS PAPER
Shakir Ullah, Zaheer Udin Baber. Analysis of gender radicalization in the form of militarism in African women: the case of women joining Al-Shabaab. Trends in Social Sciences and Humanities Research. 2024, 2(3): 48-54. DOI: 10.61784/tsshr2004.
REFERENCES
[1] Crisis Group. Women and Al-Shabaab's Insurgency. International Crisis Group. 2019.
[2] Ali, A. M. Islamist Extremism in East Africa. African Security Brief, African Center for Strategic Studies. 2016, 32: 1-8.
[3] Badurdeen, F. A. Women and Recruitment in the Al-Shabaab Network: Stories of Women being recruited by Women Recruiters in the Coastal Region of Kenya. Researchgate.The African Review. 2018, 45(1): 19-48.
[4] Badurdeen, F. A. Why we did it: the Kenyan women and girls who joined Al-Shabaab. The Conversation. 2021.
[5] Beauvoir, S. d. Second Sex. 1949.
[6] Bloom, M. Bombshell: Women and Terrorism. Gender Issue. 2011.
[7] Carter, B. Women and Violent Extremism: A literature Review, 2013.
[8] Chatzitheodorou, C. How women’s involvement strengthens Al-Shabaab’s insurgency and what to do about it. King College London. 2021.
[9] Choamsky, N. Hegmony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance. London: Penguin. 2004.
[10] Crisis Group. Group Africa Briefing N°99, Somalia: Al-Shabaab – It Will Be a Long War. 2014.
[11] Crisis Group. Africa Report N°100, Somalia’s Islamists. 2005.
[12] Crisis Group. Al-Shabaab Five Years After Westgate: Still a Menace in East Africa. Crisis Group Africa Report N°265. 2017: 4.
[13] Crisis Group. Managing the Disruptive Aftermath of Somalia’s Worst Terror Attack. Crisis Group Africa Briefing. 2017: 4.
[14] Donnelly, P. Women in Al-Shabaab through a New War’s Lens. Women in International Security. 2022.
[15] Gayatri, S. & Martine Z. Analytical Framing of Violent Extremism and Gender in Kenya: A Review of the Literature. African Review. 2018, 45: 1,4.
[16] HASSAN, M. Understanding Drivers of Violent Extremism: The Case of al-Shabab and Somali Youth. Combating Terrorism Center: At West Point. 2012, 5(8).
[17] Hoyle, C., Bradford, A., and Frenett, R. Becoming Mulan? Female Western Migrants to ISIS. Institute for Strategic Dialogue. 2015.
[18] International Crisis Group. Women and Al-Shabaab's Insurgency. 2019.
[19] Jacques, K., and Taylor, P. Myths and Realities of Female Perpetrated Terrorism. Law and Human Behaviour. 2013, 37(1): 9.
[20] Mwakimako, H. Coastal Muslim Women in the Coast of Kenya: Narrating Radicalization, Gender, Violence and Extremism. University of Dar es Salaam Journals. 2018, 45(1).
[21] Ndungu, I., Salifu, U., and Sigsworth, R. Violent Extremism in Kenya: Why Women are a Priority. ISS Monograph. 2017: 197.
[22] O'Rourke, L. A. O'Rourke. What’s Special About Female Suicide Terrorism?. Security Studies. 2009, 18: 681-718.
[23] Orozbakieva, A. Femal Radicalization: A Case of ISIS. Mezinarodni Politika. 2019.
[24] Stern, O. The Invisible Women of al-Shabaab. 2019.
[25] Sunguta, W. Asset or Victims: A Portrait of Women Within al-Shabaab. The Jamestown Foundation, March 25, 2019. https://jamestown.org/program/asset-or-victims-a-portrait-of-women-within-al-shabaab.
[26] Crisis Group. Women and Recruitment in the Al-Shabaab Network: Stories of Women being recruited by Women Recruiters in the Coastal Region of Kenya. Research Gate:The African Review. 2018, 45(1): 19-48.