Women and Jihad: Converts and Casualties of Violent Extremism
Next in our series, we take an in-depth look at the diverse ways in which women are affected by radicalization – as victims, perpetrators and peacemakers – while experts call for a gender shift in the way governments deal with women’s growing role in global terrorism. Last year, on the first weekend in September, a car was found with its hazard lights flashing near Notre Dame Cathedral in the center of Paris. The Peugeot 607, which had no number plate, contained six full gas cylinders and several documents written in Arabic. A few days later, three women aged 19, 23 and 39 were arrested in a small town 18 miles (29km) southeast of Paris. Police say all three were radicalized by Islamic extremists and were known to anti-terrorism investigators. Officers later produced a letter they say was written by one of the women that pledged allegiance to ISIS. The letter said the planned attack on Notre Dame was revenge for an airstrike that had killed the group’s deputy leader. Three days