| Submit your comments on this article |
| Arabia |
| Jihad's girl power |
| 2004-09-26 |
| Against a pastel image of a road studded with roadblocks, disappearing into a desert, a banner in ornate Arabic script reads, "al-Khansaa," followed by a tagline, "published by the Women's Information Bureau in the Arabian Peninsula." Named after a renowned Arab poetess of the early Islamic era, al-Khansaa is a Webzine ostensibly written by women and specifically targeted at women. But instead of the usual feminine fare of food, fashion and furnishings, it provides tips on how to physically prepare for jihad, parenting advice on grooming future "lions on the battlefield" and discussions on the role of female holy fighters — mujahidat — in Islamic law. "We will stand covered in our veils and abayas [all-encompassing robes favored by Saudi women], with our weapons in our hands and our children in our arms," proclaims the editorial in the inaugural issue of al-Khansaa, which first appeared on the Internet last month. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #5 It's gonna be fun too see how long the half-life of the Beslan baby killing spree is going to last. I figure the gentle men back in 5 weeks or less, they are none to quick. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-09-26 12:59:13 PM |
| #4 "We will stand covered in our veils and abayas, with our weapons in our hands and our children in our arms," "We come to you with our metal detecting devices and our explosives sniffing pit-bull named, 'Killer'. Go get her, boy!" |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-09-26 9:14:57 AM |
| #3 No problem. I have no problem with killing armed women or children. I have nop problem locing themk up if they conspire to injure my counrty. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-09-26 1:13:31 AM |
| #2 "We will stand covered in our veils and abayas [all-encompassing robes favored by Saudi women], with our weapons in our hands and our children in our arms," proclaims the editorial in the inaugural issue of al-Khansaa, which first appeared on the Internet last month. Make sure to wear black abayas so that your skin blisters from the heat flash. Good thing that you'll be holding your spawn too. Always nice to kill two But even more alarming than the "feminist-jihadist" rhetoric is the fact that al Qaeda seems to be targeting a new generation of potential recruits via their mothers. Half of all Arabic women cannot read. This makes them ideal candidates for propagandistic recruitment techniques. "Recruiting women is a very smart strategy, because we won’t think of women as terrorists — it doesn’t fit the terrorist profile of young Arab males from 17 to 25." Not anymore. What’s more, Stern notes that the dress code for devout Muslim women and the norms for body searches make it easier for women to hide weapons and explosives. Again, not anymore. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-09-26 1:11:26 AM |
| #1 Gender equity comes to the Middle East. Wahhabi style. No doubt Gentle gets goosebumps reading al-Khansaa. |
| Posted by: Mark Z. 2004-09-26 12:48:52 AM |