WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS IMAGES OF CHILD SOLDIERS, MENTIONS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND ADDITIONAL CONTENT SOME MAY FIND DISTURBING. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Bottom Line Up Front
South Africa has long been a known staging ground for Islamic State (IS), home to a network of recruiters, financiers and logistics managers for other IS Wilayahs such as Somalia and Mozambique. South Africa has
completed the final requirement to be removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, following a successful on-site assessment.The
FATF provides a framework to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Online chat rooms run by Islamic State supporters recently shared notable content related to South Africa and, specifically, the role of women within the Caliphate. This content is unofficial, which means it did not come from Islamic State's official news outlets, the Amaq and Nashir News Agencies. It is not unusual for Islamic State supporters online to create their own content and they are not bound by any rules set out by Nashir or Amaq. This means they are free to create whatever content they wish and monitoring their communications thus provides an insight into the psyche of some of the group's supporters.
"THE LIONESSES OF THE KHILAFAH: THE STEADFAST MOTHERS SISTERS OF THE UMMAH"
An English-language Islamic State supportive chatroom recently shared a lengthy post about the role of three women as examples of sacrifice and loyalty to the Caliphate entitled "The Lionesses of the Khilafah: The Steadfast Mothers of the Ummah". Male members of IS are frequently referred to by IS as lions, while child soldiers are referred to as
cubs. This rhetoric reinforces the importance of family structures as a source of strength for the group. Contrary to the belief held by some uninformed individuals that IS consists of only men, women also form part of the Caliphate. As with the men, some join voluntarily while others are forced; kidnapped, coerced or born into the Caliphate.
The introduction of the post about the role of women reads: "In the darkest days of rest and hardship, while many turned their backs
and fled to the kuffar [disbelievers/non-believers], a few remained firm upon the path of Allah.
Among them stand three noble sisters: Umm Layth, Fathima Patel, and Umm
Isa al-Kuwaitiya — each a shining example of sacrifice and loyalty".
The screenshot below shows what the roles of women are within IS: to bare children (the wombs of the believers), to recruit IS members (the tongues of the callers) and to act as medical support (the hands of the patient). It is also interesting to note that this post not only reveres the women it is talking about, but states that other women should base their actions on those of these "sisters" in order to be remembered.
The South African Networker
The post, which looks a lot like it was written by a large-language model (LLM), goes into detail about three women; a famous Scottish IS recruiter named Aqsa Mahmood (aka Umm Layth), a Kuwaiti camp recruiter by the honorific, Umm Isa al-Kuwaitiya, and the well-known South African woman named Fathima [Fatima] Patel.
In the post, part of which is pictured below, Patel is described as the wife of a mujahid. Being the wife of a mujahid is often described in IS propaganda as an honour. It is also interesting to note the connection made between her and IS in East Africa. It is unclear why exactly she is described as "the resilient pillar for the brothers in East Africa", but it is likely due to her alleged
connections to a Malawian IS operative, and her accomplice in an attack that killed British botanists, Rodney and Rachel Saunders, in the Ngoye forest, just 16km from the picturesque town of Mtunzini. IS operatives in South Africa also support IS operations in Mozambique and Somalia. While it would be odd to classify Mozambique as East Africa, Somalia certainly is in the geographical East of the continent.
The post noted that "Despite arrests, interrogations, and humiliation by the tawaghit [apostate authorities], she refuses to renounce the truth, ensuring the soldiers of the caliphate have the support and connections they need". Highlighting suffering and sacrifice for the sake of the Caliphate is a common feature of IS propaganda and gives insight into the psyches of its supporters and members. Sacrifice is highlighted frequently when IS claims credit for attacks in which suicide bombers were used or in which group members died. They are revered as martyrs and framed as making the ultimate sacrifice for the cause.
"MAY ALLAH ACCEPT THE SACRIFICE OF THIS SISTERS MAY ALLAH FREE THEM AND TAKE CARE OF ALL THEIR NEEDS.
MAY WE LEARN FROM THEM AND FOLLOW IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS AMEEN"
The post included the above quotation, highlighting again the importance of sacrifice for the Caliphate and the role these women play in recruitment.
The below images were shared alongside the post:
Muwahidah definition: a person (female; muwahid - male) who strives in the cause of Allah
The same chat shared the below images of child soldiers alongside a similarly formatted text that highlighted the virtues of child soldiers and their value in terms of being the future of the Caliphate. This reinforces the idea of the importance of family structures and highlights the role of women being the "womb" of the Caliphate. It is made very clear in this post that one of the main roles for women in IS is having children.
The use of generative AI and LLMs for terrorist propaganda
It is also important to remember that the output from generative AI models and LLMs can be edited and it is possible that the user could have changed some of the information to add their own details, if indeed it was created by an LLM. Nevertheless, it is somewhat unusual (although not at all unheard of) for IS supporters to talk about South African IS members and it is not a widely-known phenomenon among the general South African population. Indeed, the use of South Africa as a staging ground for IS is not often of widely discussed outside the security sector as opposed to other phenomena such as gang violence or the criminal underworld. This is understandable considering that the effects of these phenomena are much more obvious for South African residents than the deliberately-hidden IS activity. South Africans are confronted daily with the realities and dangers posed by violent criminals in the country.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the rumours online that Patel is still running her recruitment network are concerning. It is imperative to remember that some women are willingly complicit in IS activity and Patel is a prime example of this. One must resist the urge to dismiss women who are proven to be associated with terrorist groups as a result of bias that women are not dangerous or that they are not as big of a threat as male members of IS. This is not in the sense of physical strength, but in terms of their propaganda value and numerous other contributions that they make to IS. This brings to mind the al-Hol refugee camp in Syria where entire families connected to IS reside to this day. Equally, it is just as important to remember that many women are still forced to join the group and that IS has carried out heinous activities against women across the world. As an example, IS is infamous for the Ezidi Genocide and for their captivity of Ezidi women for
sexual slavery.
This blog is being published on the eve of Women's Day in South Africa, an opportunity to discuss the issue of women who join Islamic State, and other terrorist groups, both willingly and against their will. Women's day is also a chance to be thankful for the many positive steps taken to end some of the suffering of women across the world at the hands of terrorists and criminals, while acknowledging and remembering that men are also victims of sexual violence at the hands of such groups. Overall, although this is a difficult and sometimes taboo topic, it is an important one and deserves attention.
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