The Different Roles of Arab Women in Conflicts
DEVELOPMENTS
Iraqi women face a bleak future. A recent survey by the BBC shows that the status of women in Iraq has deteriorated significantly since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion. It reports more violence against women and fewer feelings of security and optimism. Similarly, Newsweek reports that the return of local religious leadership has translated into fear and violence against women, by those claiming to protect them. Human Rights Watch also reports sharp increases in the amount of sexual violence against women.
However, women are not only the victims, but sometimes the perpetrators of violence as well. A recent New York Times article addresses the alarming phenomenon of female suicide bombers. On February 2nd two female suicide bombers detonated explosives in the Baghdad pet markets, killing at least 65 people and wounding over 150. This was not the first female suicide attack; rather, it was symptomatic of a larger, unfortunate trend.
In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well, women have played several roles, including those of suicide bombers. The practice, begun by Fatah in 2002, was initially rejected by Hamas; but in 2004, Hamas also sent female suicide bombers. While women historically have participated in national struggles in the Middle East, only a minority have engaged with force.
BACKGROUND
Women in Iraq
The status of women in Iraq has changed often since the 1968 takeover of the Ba’ath party. Considered integral to the Ba’ath plan of power consolidation and economic development, women were rewarded with new laws improving both their public and private status. The 1970 Constitution granted women full equality under the law. Women were also encouraged to attend school and join the workforce.
However, after the 1991 Gulf War and Saddam Hussein’s decision to convert his secular government to an Islamic one, women’s status reverted drastically. Literacy rates dropped, mobility was increasingly restricted, and women were pushed out of the labor force to make more room for men. The number of “honor killings” also increased.
Helping the Resistance: Women in Palestine and Algeria
Historically, Arab women have played significant roles in helping their countries oppose outside powers. Women played an indispensable role in both the Algerian defeat of the French in the Algerian War of Independence, 1954 – 1962, and both Palestinian intifadas.
Hamas’ charter delineates a woman’s role as the “maker of men.” She should educate the new generation and prepare her sons for their duty of jihad and manage her home frugally. The Hamas charter clearly values women’s contributions, and even requires them, yet confines women to thier homes. Algerian women were similarly restricted. The Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) stated in its position paper (the Soummam Platform) that women’s roles included providing moral support to fighters, helping families and children left behind by fighters, and taking care of food supplies. Women have been responsible for providing refuge for “wanted” men, in both Palestine and Algeria. They have also been delegated the task of raising future fighters and politicizing their children at a young age.
Despite these restrictions, some women became engaged in physical resistance. In Algeria, women often followed their fallen husbands or fathers into war. Some also used their veils to hide and move weapons. Female fighters (moudjahida in Arabic) also participated as members of guerilla cells in urban centers, fighters in the mountains in military uniforms, or members in civilian services which at times involved throwing bombs into French civilian centers.
The first known female suicide attack was in 1985 when Khyadali Sana, a 16-year-old Palestinian girl, drove a truck into an Israeli Defense Force convoy killing two soldiers. Similarly, a Nablus woman attempted to plant a bomb in the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, out of marital obligation–her husband had been accused of being an Israeli collaborator and she wanted to clear his name. Another woman, after her husband divorced her for being infertile, carried out a suicide attack in Jerusalem in 2002, killing one person and injuring ninety. These and other stories illustrate that women’s participation in resistance is often linked to their family structures and duties.
Post-War Improvements in Women’s Rights?
Female involvement in the Algerian War of Independence did little to improve their status within their newly-free country. Similarly in the Palestinian territories, although many women went to demonstrations, confronted Israeli soldiers, and housed fighters, their social and political position in society has remained essentially the same as it was before the uprising.
Palestinian women are said to be “suffering doubly,” once at the hands of Israel, and again at the hands of Palestinian men. Algerian women also continue to suffer as victims of abuse, rape, and murder.
ANALYSIS
The future of Iraqi women remains unclear, as does their role in the insurgence. But the insurgency continues to exploit, intimidate and suppress women and children. There are numerous reports of insurgents forcing Iraqi women to wear veils and killing those who do not. Even more disturbing, the American army has also been suspected of exploiting Iraqi women by using Iraqi wives as bait to capture insurgents.
Yet, some women have aided the insurgency as well, not just by suicide bombing, but also by hiding weapons, cell phones and documents in their clothing. Since the start of the war in 2003, women’s participation as suicide bombers has increased by 30%. There are several explanations for this, including revenge for murdered children, pure nationalism, and fear of bodily exploitation.
As the war continues, the U.S. will hopefully address the special set of challenges facing Iraqi women, dissuading those considering acting as suicide bombers, and protecting all Iraqi women from exploitation and violence. Human rights groups should demand that any withdrawal plans specifically address how women will be protected. Unfortunately, women will likely become casualties of war, left without any security.