Written by Dr Mohammed Ilyas   

Women involved in political or religious reasons violence is not a new phenomena. For example, women have been part of groups such as Baader Meinhof, Irish Republican Army, Shinning Path, Black Widows, Tamil Tigers, brand Al Qaeda, as well as various Palestinian groups.

The women involved in the aforementioned groups were/are responding to situations, which had a direct impact on their lives. In all these cases with the exception of Baader Meinhof, Al Qaeda and the Shinning Path they are nationalist causes.

From all the aforementioned groups Al Qaeda has inspired, at least in the case of Muslims from various parts of the world, including Europe to join in its global cause. The two most well known women from the English-speaking Western World to join the ranks of Al Qaeda type groups are Colleen Renee LaRose- Jihad Jane from the USA and Samantha Lewthwaite, who was married to Jermaine Lindsay, one of the 7/7 bombers.

The shocking aspect about both women joining Al Qaeda was not that they were ‘women’ but that they were not born Muslims –they were converts. In reality we do not know how many Western Muslim women, either born or convert are/were members of Al Qaeda type groups and fighting various conflicts, including Syria. But it is feasible that the number would be more than a handful.

From media reports its is clear that Muslim men from Western countries have responded to the call of ‘Jihad’ by Al Qaeda type groups and the rebels and are now fighting alongside the coreligionists. But it is also equally possible that the Syrian government has recruits from Western countries, including women that are fighting on its side.

Until the report by British Broadcaster, Channel 4 there was little evidence of Muslim women from Western countries fighting in the Syrian conflict. The channel detailed the motivations of one woman that had been interviewed. She said that ‘ I am not oppressed, if was oppressed I wouldn’t be a Muslim right now.. If I thought Islam was a oppressive religion, I would have left Islam.. Islam has made me free’. According to Channel 4 her motivation to join the Syrian conflict is to support her brothers and sisters in Islam because they need our help.

In most cases of these women seem to have travelled to Syria and married a fighter and started families but there is no way of verifying if this is true. It could be that they were already married to men that went to fight in Syria and their wives followed them.

However, the issue of women joining the Syrian conflict as ‘female Mujahids’ has been brewing in Muslim majority and among Muslim communities Western countries. Media reports earlier this year claimed that Sheikh al-Arifi a Saudi cleric issued a fatwa allowing Muslim girls and women to sexually sacrifice their bodies to rebels fighting in the Syria. In March, Tunisian media outlets reported that thirteen Tunisian women have travelled to Syria heading to the fatwa. However, there is no way of verifying if the fatwa is real and issued by Sheikh al-Arifi. But if the fatwa is credible and can be attributed to the Sheikh, this then begs the question- Have the Muslim women from Western countries fighting in Syria headed to the fatwa.