The Institute of National Security Studies, Sri Lanka (INSSSL) hosted a public lecture on “Women in Terrorism” by Security Expert Ms. Michelle Brooks on Friday, 24th March 2017 at the INSSSL office. Director General of the Institute Mr. Asanga Abeyagoonasekera delivered the opening remarks and introduced the guest speaker who is a Research Fellow at the Institute. Ms. Brooks is also a Complex Emergencies Specialist and Academic specializing in the area of Counter Terrorism. As Managing Director of Global Research Organisation Ltd. (UK) her work has taken the form of research informed training and change management for government institutions, military and academic clients alike.
Ms. Brooks’ topic on “Women in Terrorism” is one that is seldom covered in mainstream politics and international relations. In fact, this was one of the subjects of the lecture itself, where Ms. Brooks stated that when it comes to terrorism, women are excluded from the narrative. Ms. Brooks illustrated that women in the Middle East and the West are sometimes more vulnerable to radicalization that women in Sri Lanka, through the research that she conducted. As she suggests, the more liberal the society, the lesser chances of women being lured or attracted to radicalisation. However, with regards to Sri Lanka, Ms. Brooks suggested that legal measures be taken to prevent illegal child marriages, especially of children from the Islamic faith in the country.
Notably, Ms. Brooks stated that the attraction to terrorism for women was far different compared to their male counterparts. She stated that the death of a loved one, especially at the hands of the state drove women to take up arms. Ms. Brooks evidenced the claim that the pull towards terrorism was biological in nature for women by depicting case-studies where the female counterpart was radicalized through a romantic relationship with their male partner – the agent of the terrorist act. Furthermore, she stated that the subjugation of any woman at the hands of their male partner, whether they are children or adults is almost always conducive to, and manifests in radical indoctrination. The underlying theme of the lecture was therefore that, in order to curb the trend of female terrorist fighters, women must be given a voice and a seat at the table when talking about the concept of terrorism.