About the conference

The Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism Studies and The Fletcher School, Tufts University, and Women in International Security (WIIS) at the Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University are co-hosting a conference entitled Women and al Qaeda, a presentation of research and analysis, which was generously supported by the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. The conference will be held at The Fletcher School on April 10th, 2007, and will serve as the first formal meeting of the Boston WIIS chapter. The theme of the conference is the evolution of al Qaeda’s use of women in planning and executing terrorist activities.

Conference panelists include U.S. and European scholars who will present key case studies of women’s involvement inside al Qaeda based upon field research in countries affected by this phenomenon.

The aim of the Women and al Qaeda conference is to explore women’s specific roles inside the organizations as well as their potential engagement in counter-terrorism efforts. Members of both panels will present policy recommendations for counter-terrorism officials and other scholars addressing these phenomena. We hope you can join us for this important event.

Conference panelists include U.S. and European scholars who will present key case studies of women’s involvement inside al Qaeda based upon field research in countries affected by this phenomenon. One panel discussion will focus on the use of al Qaeda women as kinetic resources, exemplified by the use of female suicide bombers. Panelists will explore whether al Qaeda’s deployment of female suicide bombers over the past five years is an emerging trend or an isolated phenomenon motivated by independent factors.

The second conference panel will address additional roles of women in al Qaeda, which tend to be largely support functions that embrace the traditional roles and responsibilities that Muslim women play in patriarchic societies. Preliminary Jebsen Center research has revealed that women often serve as avenues of logistical support (as bookkeepers, translators, and financiers/money launderers), ideological support (for men actively engaged in combat), and organizational resilience (in the creation of a jihadi reserve force). Additionally, radicalized women have been known to form sisterhoods, networking and coordinating amongst themselves, including via chat rooms and websites. Networking has other implications as well: women in the United States, Europe, and Canada can act as “sponsors” by marrying members of al Qaeda, thus providing them with legal residency or an enhanced immigration status. Conference panelists will discuss these phenomena, as well as whether and how Western governments can effectively track and counter them.

Cost: Complimentary

Sponsored by:

Praevenis – Praepedis – Anticipas The Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism Studies	The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation	Women in International Security	The Fletcher School at Tufts University