ISLAMABAD: In a concerning escalation of its recruitment tactics, the United Nations-designated terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has introduced an online training program targeted at women, charging a fee of 500 Pakistani Rupees (approximately 1.75 US dollars) per participant. This move, which leverages digital platforms to bypass conservative social restrictions in Pakistan, signals a potential shift toward involving women in active jihadist roles, raising alarms about broader radicalization efforts in the region.
The course, named “Tufat al-Muminat,” is set to commence on November 8 and will feature daily 40-minute lectures conducted via online meeting tools. Instructors include family members of JeM’s founder, Masood Azhar—a globally wanted terrorist linked to attacks like the 2019 Pulwama bombing in India. Specifically, Azhar’s sisters, Sadiya Azhar and Samaira Azhar, will lead sessions focusing on women’s “duties” in the context of jihad, Islam, and religious ideology. Sadiya Azhar, who has been appointed to head JeM’s newly formed women’s wing, Jamat ul-Muminat (also known as Jamaat-ul-Mominaat), will play a central role. The group’s council, or Shura, also reportedly includes Safia Azhar and Afreera Farooq, the wife of Umar Farooq—a key perpetrator in the Pulwama attack who was later eliminated by Indian forces.
Enrollment requires women to submit personal details through an online form and pay the mandatory donation, creating a fundraising mechanism. This initiative follows JeM’s announcement of its women’s brigade on October 8 and a mobilization event called “Dukhtaran-e-Islam” held on October 19 in Rawalakot, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, aimed at drawing more female supporters into the fold. By going digital, JeM appears to be exploiting societal norms that limit women’s mobility, allowing for discreet radicalization from home—a strategy that could accelerate the group’s expansion amid ongoing crackdowns.
This development comes as JeM seeks to rebuild after significant setbacks, including India’s Operation Sindoor airstrike in May, which targeted the group’s headquarters in Bahawalpur and resulted in the deaths of several Azhar family members, such as Sadiya Azhar’s husband, Yusuf Azhar. In response, Masood Azhar has intensified donation drives, including a public appeal last month at the Markaz Usman O Ali in Bahawalpur and an online campaign via EasyPaisa to raise millions of Pakistani Rupees for constructing 313 new centers across Pakistan. Analysts warn that these efforts underscore Pakistan’s inconsistent stance on counter-terrorism, despite its claims of adhering to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) guidelines to curb terror financing.
Experts view the inclusion of women as a tactical evolution for JeM, which has historically avoided deploying females in combat, unlike groups such as ISIS, Hamas, Boko Haram, or the LTTE. Reports suggest this could pave the way for training female suicide bombers or fedayeen attackers, with JeM and allied outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen relocating bases to Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to evade further strikes.
On social media platforms like X, users have expressed alarm, describing the course as a “dangerous attempt to radicalize women under the guise of faith” and highlighting its implications for regional security.
As global scrutiny intensifies on Pakistan’s handling of banned terror groups, this online venture not only exposes vulnerabilities in digital oversight but also heightens fears of a new generation of extremists emerging from within households. Global authorities must monitor these activities closely, for enhanced international cooperation to disrupt such insidious recruitment pipelines.