Daily Times

My sleep architecture was suffering greatly. Having privately discussed my concerns with a close cadre of friends after 9/11, research was beginning to lend credence to my early thoughts. My background in the sciences caused me to make an unusually strong and early leap into predictive analysis regarding suicide bombings.

Normal individuals with good mental balance do not commit suicide by blowing themselves up. Stable personalities do not stride into peaceful public crowds to cause indiscriminate annihilation. And anomalous human behaviour first noted in the male species soon makes the leap into the family unit by impacting the female or maternal role, and finally, the vulnerable progeny.

Being situated amongst the guests of jihad forums cast in the role as a passive observer does not lend itself to vast amounts of empirical data. But such observations do allow for a needed glimpse into changing thought patterns. Emotional pulse is evident and it is especially noted by individuals who have adopted a siege mentality regarding politics and the natural order of things.

Most chatter regarding women in the battle-space in a combatant role had been fairly muted in the past. But I was now reading a first-person account of female suicide bombers and their preparations to embark on a mission. A man wrote the account after a successful mission completion. The women were dead and the writer was happy to share the details of women-turned-raptors. He was also careful to note the reaction of his young sister as a witness of the ‘sisters’ prior to their deed. I felt sick to my stomach. The images of women shrouded in black and functioning as the angel of death plagued my sleep (Mourning over a Knightess: A Muslimah by Brother Louis Atiyyatullah).

Islamic literature does include the names and deeds of women who moved into roles beyond those of tending the fires and cooking the pots of meat for men engaged in conflict. These stories have a natural appeal to me for the obvious reasons. Perhaps my favourite tale is that of Sara, a feisty woman unafraid of intrigue who was caught with a message, which had been hidden in the tresses of her hair (Al-Ahkam As-Sultaniyyah: The Laws of Islamic Governance, Abu’l-Hasan al-Mawardi, Pp 73). What is lacking within Islamic literature is any dominant portrayal of women wielding weapons in offensive posture, and more specifically, against the communities in which they reside.

Clever women who are courageous in the face of danger have always functioned in various traditional and narrowly defined roles during time of war. On other occasions women have surpassed conventional roles when imminent danger and the protective survival instinct require action.

Within my own Navy Nurse Corps the weapons familiarisation, which has been included in my training is geared towards a defensive posture and the need to disarm and safely stash the weapon of an injured US Marine brought into a field hospital environment. Shooting at a pop-up target 200 yards downwind with an M-16 can bring that sudden rush of bravado until it is noted that only one in three of my shots even hit the target. But the rules of engagement preclude my use of the weapon to deliver an indiscriminate three shot burst into a crowd.

So to reiterate, women have played and will continue to play their part in times of conflict. But what is a nation to do when women are being actively recruited and brainwashed into performing acts, which are contrary to natural predisposition and instinct? What can be done to safeguard the human mind and emotions from being entrapped in the spider’s house? It must be remembered that the human mind has tremendous archival capabilities for scenery and all the senses can be involved. We may not remember the exact date of the wedding feast for a neighbour. But our brain is capable of wafting the scent of the food across our nostrils to make us salivate again with the remembrance of a succulent portion of lamb. Our eyes can remember the vivid colours of the women’s skirts moving in dance and the happy smiles of the parents of the bride. Our scenery bank reminds us who we are and what we wish to become. What is it that makes a woman want to become a suicide bomber? What makes a woman change the scenery? From scenery of the baby on the hip to the grandchild bounced on the knee provides a normal progression of a woman’s life. Striding into a crowd with a suicide vest ready to blow both the maternal womb and heart onto the sidewalk is mental illness.

A new and dangerous scenery is being created and the gardeners are careful cultivators of their crops in the world of recruitment into suicide bombings. My files contain the evidence of recruitment. And facts bear out that al Qaeda has increased their recruitment efforts substantially amongst women and girls since 2007. It is a sad state of affairs, one that played out in Pakistan in December when a female suicide bomber struck a queue of the poor awaiting food distribution.

The most recent recruitment effort noted was this week with a call for men, women and children to heed the call to jihad. Circumvention of the protective function of ra’ii — the care-taking role of the father — is vital to the recruitment of women. As much as we like to declare our independence there is always someone above us who makes the demand for accountability. The family unit is the safety net for society. The net is being gashed by the terror organisations. The degradation and substitution of the role of guardianship is a necessary component of brainwashing.

What was started by men must be rectified by men. Where are the fathers?

The writer is a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy Reserves. She is a Nurse Corps officer who resides in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She has written articles and book reviews for the Marine Corps Gazette, and Op-Ed commentary for the Dallas Morning News