Understanding the role of digital media in female participation in terrorism: the case of Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

Notwithstanding the discernable participation of women in terrorist groups, empirical research on women in terrorism is very scant in Bangladesh. To fill this gap, our article examines women’s involvement in terrorism by analyzing the life stories of dozens of Bangladeshi women terrorists. We use a terrorist lifecycle approach to understand the role of digital media in female participation, particularly in terms of when in the lifecycle digital media becomes important, and in terms of how digital media interacts with other factors to shape women’s involvement in terrorist organizations. After analyzing female profiles and their socio-demographic traits, we provide an in-depth analysis of three female terrorist lifecycles. An analysis of the profiles of Bangladeshi terrorists who use digital media reveals that women were more likely to use digital media than men in the recruitment phase. The in-depth case studies of three female terrorist profiles find that multiple and different factors impact their terrorist life cycles. Social networks – families and friends – typically play a role in individuals’ decision to become involved and further engagement in terrorism. Specifically, digital media allows women to expand their social interactions beyond what is possible in person, thus allowing for virtual pathways into terrorism.

KEYWORDS:

• Terrorism
• digital media
• Bangladesh
• women
• gender

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

This study is a part of the doctoral project conducted and supervised by the authors and approved by the University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) (Project no. 2018/102). In compliance with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, Australia and to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of the participants, the dataset is not available to be shared publicly. The names and identities of the individuals studied are also intentionally held anonymous.

Notes

1. Pipes, Melbourne’s petite, shy, honours-student, 24–28.

2. The Daily Star. Knife attack in Australia.

3. See note 1 above.

4. The Daily Star, Momena, Asmaul self-radicalised.

5. Nuraniyah, Not just brainwashed, 890–910; Pearson et al., Women, gender and Daesh, 60–72.

6. Mattheis et al., The greatness of her position.

7. Winter, ISIS, Women and Jihad; Blee, Inside organized racism; Pearson, Shamima Begum: how Europe; Musial, My Muslim sister; Lehane et al., Brides, black widows and baby makers, and Pilkington, EDL angels stand beside.

8. Bowman et al., The women behind the ‘AltRight”; Darby, The Rise of the Valkyries.; Davenport, The women that Feminism; Saltman et al., Till martyrdom do us; Hoyle et al., Becoming Mulan?; Pearson, Wilayat Shahidat and also see note 5 above.

9. Alexander, Cruel intentions, VII.

10. Pearson, The case of Roshonara Choudhry, 5–33.

11. Neumann, Options and strategies, 431–459; Gulsby et al., The new al-Qaeda.

12. Weimann, New terrorism and new media, 3.

13. Windsor, The language of radicalization, 506–538.

14. Briggs, Radicalisation, the role of the internet. Policy Briefing, Institute for Strategic Dialogue, London.

15. Ibid., 11–12.

16. Kemp, Digital 2020: Bangladesh.

17. Ibid.

18. Riaz et al., Bangladeshi militants, 944–961.

19. Labu, Nabila”s descent into extremism.

20. Parvez, The Khilafah”s soldiers in Bengal, 22–38.

21. Shafi et al., Profiles of Islamist militants,112–129; See note 18 above.

22. Roul, The shifting narrative of women”s role, 7–9.

23. Liza, Preventing female radicalization, 22–26.

24. Mohsina, Growing trends of female jihadism, 7–11.

25. Khan et al., Dhaka sees first female.

26. Ranstrop, The root causes of violent extremism, 3.

27. Borum, Radicalization into Violent Extremism, 7–36.

28. Saltman, & Smith, Till Martyrdom do us part; Hoyle, Bradford & Frenett, Becoming Mulan?.

29. Ibid.

30. Ibid.

31. Cottee, What ISIS women want.

32. See note 28 above. See also Pearson & Winterbotham, Women, Gender and Daesh Radicalisation. Peresin & Cervone, The Western Muhajirat of ISIS; Klausen, Tweeting the Jihad.

33. Bloom, Bombshells.

34. Sageman, Leaderless Jihad.

35. Nuraniyah, Not Just Brainwashed.

36. Gentry & Sjoberg, “The gendering,”57–82.

37. Speckhard, Female suicide.

38. MacDonald, Shoot the women.

39. Grossman, Islamic State; Patel, The Sultanate of Women.

40. Knop, The Female Jihad.

41. Manrique et al., Women”s connectivity.

42. Ibid.

43. Weimann, New terrorism and new media.

44. See note 35 above.

45. Klausen, Tweeting the Jihad.

46. See note 44 above.

47. Pearson & Winterbotham, “Women, Gender and Daesh Radicalisation,” 60–72.

48. Nuraniyah, Not just brainwashed, 896.

49. See note 34 above.

50. See note 11 above.

51. See note 49 and 47 above.

52. For an excellent analysis on Indonesia, see Nuraniyah, Not Just Brainwashed.

53. Horgan, The psychology of terrorism.

54. See note 18 above.

55. Alam, Jongibader Jhukite Narira.

56. Ibid.

57. Robin, Rubaiya o Nayimar jongi.

58. Ibid.

59. The Daily Star, 4 female “JMB activists” held.

60. Daily Bangladesh, Five-day remand sought.

61. News Narayanganj, Hurer ranir ma greftar.

62. The Daily Star, 2 “JMB militants” held.

63. News Narayanganj, Narayanganjey RAB er.

64. See note 4 above.

65. See note 40 above.

66. See note 29 above.

67. See note 41 above.

68. See note 29 above.

69. See note 65 above.

70. See note 67 above.

71. See note 65 above.

72. See note 67 above.

73. See note 29 above.

74. See note 34 above.

75. See note 29 above .

76. Ibid.

77. Ibid.

78. See note 37 above.

79. See note 19 above.

80. See note 29 above.

81. Ibid.

82. Ibid.

83. Ibid.

84. Ibid.

85. Ibid.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Saimum Parvez

Saimum Parvez is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA-IMPACT) postdoctoral fellow at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium. Before joining the VUB, he was a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science and Sociology, North South University, Bangladesh. He also taught as an Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations, University of Chittagong (2010-2013). Parvez received his Ph.D. (2021) from the University of Sydney. The title of his dissertation was ‘Understanding Digital Media and the Lifecycles of Bangladeshi Violent Extremists’. He achieved his MA (2015) from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University under the Fulbright scholarship program. His recent publications were published in several scholarly journals, such as Democratization (2021), Perspectives on Terrorism (2019), and Terrorism and Political Violence (2018). He received the Center for Genocide Studies and United Nations Development Programme (CGS-UNDP) Peace Fellowship 2018. Parvez’s research interests include the impacts of digital media on terrorism, South Asian migrants in Europe, and Bangladesh Politics.

Justin V. Hastings

Justin V. Hastings is Professor in International Relations and Comparative Politics in the Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney, where he is also affiliated with the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, the China Studies Centre, the Sydney Cyber Security Network, and the Centre of International Security Studies. From 2008 to 2010, he was an Assistant Professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he remains affiliated with the Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy. He received an MA (2003) and PhD (2008) in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and an AB in public and international affairs from Princeton University in 2001. Hastings’ research is mostly focused on gray and black markets, rogue states, and the structure and behaviour of clandestine non-state actors, such as terrorists, maritime piracy, smugglers, organized criminals, insurgents, and nuclear weapons proliferators, primarily in Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean. In the department, he teaches units and supervises research students on international security issues and Asian politics.