More Than Mere Pragmatism: Critically Reading Female Involvement in Armed Movements

More Than Mere Pragmatism: Critically Reading Female Involvement in Armed Movements

Michael Loadenthal

“OUTRAGE/ACTION: Leveraging Commitment in Gender Research, Theory and Practice”

22 March 2014, George Mason University

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Problems with the literature

Essentialist

•  Women’s participation as ‘abnormal,’ passively filling support role…’women as caring supporters’

•  Presumes women’s ‘natural’ role to be normative, civil, legal, non-violent nurturer

…as key military participants •  Active support private:

–  Courier, smuggler, transport –  Hiding fighters/supplies –  Manufacturing explosives –  Medical care –  Computer: external

propaganda, internal communications

–  Incursion scouting –  Target surveillance, counter

surveillance –  Fund raising

•  Active support public: –  Fund raising –  Prisoner support –  Demonstrations –  Writers, cartoonists –  Propaganda distribution

Samar Ibrahim Sabih, 22, university grad

Al-Khansa [2004] •  "Biography of the Mujahidat

[Female Mujahideen]”

•  "Is this what things have come to? Are the Believers gone?”

•  "Raising children on Jihad’s teachings”

•  "The lofty tree of Mujahidat”

•  "Women’s training camp"

Al-Shamikha ("The Majestic

Woman") [2011]

•  31 pages •  Arabic/English

editions •  Provides fashion/

beauty, marriage and tactical advice

Women's Brigade of Weather Underground

•  70+ members

•  10-14-70: IED Center for International Affairs (Harvard) –  connection to the war effort, anti-war

struggle was a 'women's issue.’

•  3-6-74: IED San Francisco Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare –  International Women's day and to

encourage women to take charge of daycare, health care, birth control, etc.

Problems with the literature

Sensationalist

•  Trauma cause (e.g. rape, arrest of husband) •  Unequal access to public sphere à violence •  Motivated as “victimized participants”

Reem al-Riyashi [2004]

•  8th Palestinian

female bomber

•  1st for Hamas

“I always wanted to be the first woman to carry out a martyrdom operation, where parts of my body can fly all over…God has given me two children. I love them [with] a kind of love that only God knows, but my love to meet God is stronger still.”

IRAQ: Muriel Degauque [2005] •  Belgian-born, Muslim

convert after marriage •  Moved with husband from

Syria to Iraq (presumably) to join insurgency

•  VBIED in Baghdad targeting US military convoy

•  1 US soldier injured, bomber KIA

•  Husband failed to detonate in joint attack and was shot

IRAQ: Samira Ahmed Jassim

•  Recruited 80+ female suicide bombers

•  Admitted to planning rape of recruits, offering bombing missions to “escape the shame”

•  Female bombers Iraq: –  2007: 8 –  2008: 32

1985-2005: 34% suicide bombings globally by women (Bloom)

Military Communiqué: On The Missing Zionist Soldier Our Mujahideen conducted Operation: Dispelled Illusion successfully, and achieved excellent results. And in response to different mediation efforts, we hereby announce that the Zionist occupation leadership will receive information on the missing soldier only after committing to the: 1- Immediate release of all female Palestinian prisoners in Zionist jails. 2- Immediate release of all Palestinian children under the age of 18 imprisoned in Zionist jails. Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades Naser Salah El-Deen Brigades Islamic Army June 26, 2006

Problems with the literature

Anecdotal •  Accusations that a single women was coerced into acting à explanation that female participation is coerced

•  This hold for narratives of ‘husband-wife’ teams •  Involvement explained in terms of “personal” motivators

not political •  “Personal” motivations are depoliticized and often linked

to the socio-cultural explanations (e.g. infertility, failed marriage, infidelity, homosexuality, dishonor/shame…)

“A heroic martyrdom operation carried out by two glorious Iraqi women against the herds of the invading enemy last night”

1.) Married first cousin when she was 16 2.) Delivered stillborn baby at 23, told she would never be able to carry to full term. 3.) Divorced, moved in with her mother, brother, his wife and their 5 children. 4.) Served a medic with PRCS, volunteered every Friday during peak intifada rioting years.

When does the ‘personal’ become political?

“Greeting to the people, this is Tania…..as for being brainwashed, the idea is ridiculous to the point of being beyond belief. I am a soldier in the People’s Army…we mourn together because the sound of gun fire is beautiful” - [Audio tape eulogy for fallen comrades, 1974]

Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi [11/09/05]

•  Target: 3 Western hotels in Amman, Jordan

•  3 successful suicide bomber teams

•  Sajida’s IED failed, husband ‘told her to leave’, then he detonated

•  60 killed, 115 injured