Arab News runs a story that serves as a useful reminder. While those in prison and rehabilitation camps are all male, that doesn’t mean all extremists are male. The Ministry of Interior talks about its program to bring women back from the fringes.
JEDDAH: The Women’s Counseling Committee at the Interior Ministry has been successful in changing the minds of schoolgirls and teachers who harbor Al-Qaeda-like extremist thoughts and ideas, says Fatima Al-Sulami, a member of the committee.
“We found women with such extreme ideas during social gatherings and were able to remove their deviant and destructive thoughts and ideologies through counseling and awareness campaigns,” she told Al-Watan Arabic daily in a report published Friday.
Al-Sulami said lack of patriotism was the main reason for women to harbor such deviant thoughts, adding that they get these ideas from websites.
An informed source at the Interior Ministry, meanwhile, said no woman is being held in prison for crimes related to extremism. “If we find any woman enticed by Al-Qaeda thoughts, she would be given advice at home,” the source said.
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September:12:2009 - 09:06
I think this article uses an inappropriate example of extremism or an “incorrect” example of Islamic Militant extremism.
It is very likey a child can and would be treated unfairly not just because of his tribe but because of other factors such as how much influence his family has or has much money is his parent’s bank account. I looked long and hard before putting my children into a school. I asked many questions and especially screened very carefully who was in charge and in administrative positions. The head mistress at one particular school asked what my son’s name was so I gave the first name. She was very interested in the last name, so I gave it to her and she insulted my husband’s family right to my face something along the lines of in a very sarcastic tone “Ah I have never heard of them before”. She was giving me strange looks and my son which made me feel quite uncomfortable. I quickly asked “What is your family name?” She replied and I said, “I have never heard of them either and nor would I want to.” I took the application and threw it back on her table while she was sitting there and I walked out calmly. She was astounded! Mind you the conversations all went in Arabic in all these situations. I am sure there are plenty of other examples of extremist thoughts being flooded out in the schools; one being teaching children to avoid imitating kuffar and buying Kuffar products (which I have seen). Discouraging healthy debate and not allowing students to question ideas is a form of extremism. I am not convinced Tribalism is part of Islamic Militant thought. It is an entirely different Saudi dysfunction that needes confronted.
I have other examples of how women can be extremist. I attended a neighbor’s izza before. Her husband had passed away and I was giving my condolonces. I wasn’t very close to them at all. They were Palestinian and were a bit kind. My husband and the father were kind to one another as my husband lent the father money a few times. At any rate, here is what went down. I was sitting there and there were a lot of Saudi neighbors around. They found this a great opportunity to insult. They asked (no I am sorry they told me) that was my husband was a shia. NOTE: [That was a big surprise to me because if he was, he had managed to keep it secret from all his friends family and me and was raising his kids Sunni.] The lady’s face whose husband had died turned red and upset. She said to the Saudi neighbor “He isn’t shia.” Another lady from the gathering said, “I know their family and they aren’t shia although there are some with that family name in Damman who are shia.” I quickly replied to the lady, “So what if my husband is a shia! What are you going to do about? Wa badain?” It looked like the color had left her face after I said that. She had the nerve to turn to the mourning lady and say to her, “Well that is what you said before.” You can’t believe they started bickering amongst each other about it. I was in a state of disbelief at that point.
The same neighbor but the oldest daughter who was living in a duplex connected to the same house went on a rant of why she preferred Saudi neigbors. I wanted to say but of course didn’t “I wish I could blow this whole block up cause you are all retards!”
God got them back because two interesting things happened there. One my son was getting dressed and looked out the window to see a man smoking a cig enjoying watching my son get undressed. He was staring and enjoying it according to my son. It freaked him out. My poor son came down with only a towel wrapped around him almost ready to cry. He came into a room full of women unknowingly only to be embarrassed again. I told him just close your blinds and found it kinda funny. Well, my husband didn’t find it funny at all and confronted the neighbor about it.
This past year (I was away) so my two daughters both under the age of 10 informed me they have been spying on those neigbhors. The maid makes them popcorn while they grab chairs and stare at them through the window. When the baby cries outside, my youngest daughter would say, “Ah baby what’s wrong, do you want some water? I just bought some honey.” LOL I am serious that is what she said. My other daughter said, “Mom I heard a man’s voice for the longest time and guess what? I discovered it was a woman! LOL”
I know that is silly. I did tell them that isn’t good. Nobody knew they were doing it besides the maid. There was one section of that house that wasn’t erected with like a 50 foot wall. Well, guess what? They erected a wall on that part of that house. While they were erecting it, my children were watching and the workers motioned to them and said, “STOP”. LOL
September:12:2009 - 16:41
I think that despite the heavy handed terminology, which makes it sound like counselling is a reprogramming, which it is in some ways but not usually by force, this is an excellent service. Women can be as extreme as men,and pass that culture to their children, and give support to the extremist men in their families, and communities, even egging them on.
I do agree with Sparky though that the relationship to tribalism is not well articulated.
September:12:2009 - 20:09
“Al-Sulami said lack of patriotism was the main reason for women to harbor such deviant thoughts, adding that they get these ideas from websites.”
Ok. Is it just me, or does that not sound right? I wish they elaborated on the link between patriotism and extremism. Government curriculum taught in the schools, as well as some gov’t teachers also seem a source of extremism.
September:13:2009 - 09:09
Sandy–I agree that the link is not made appropriate between patriotism and extremism, though I would guess the underlying argument that adherence to a patriotic attitude about Saudi would prevent terrorism against Saudi, and adherence to the closely intertwined religious values of Saudi would also prevent suicide bombing etc as is part of the well-designed Saudi rehabilitation program for terrorists/radicals.