Essay Sample on Women in Terrorism: The Neglected Security Threat

Introduction

Terrorism remains one of the biggest threats in the modern world. While efforts have been directed towards addressing the challenge, its dynamic nature hampers them. Terrorism evolves all the time, forcing security elements to keep changing tact. For instance, recent years have seen a surge in the involvement of women in the vice. Unfortunately, security parameters often neglect the participation of women in terrorism. This notwithstanding, women are relied upon by extremists as martyrs, facilitators, as well as sources of income (Bigio & Vogelstein, 2019). With the rise in the use of social media in extremism, unprecedented numbers of women are being radicalized even in the West. As such, the fight against terrorism cannot be won if the role played by women is not considered while developing interventions. As expected, the rise in attacks carried out by women has increased the attention of the media towards this previously neglected group of attackers. It is therefore interesting to find out how attacks carried out by women are reported in the media. In July of 2019, a female suicide bomber blew herself up killing eight people and injuring 26 others outside a hospital in Northwestern Pakistan (Mehsud & Ahmad, 2019). The story was taken up by different media outlets around the world. This paper seeks to discuss the reporting of the attack by the various media houses.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Similarities and Differences in Reporting

All the sources reviewed reported the details of the attack in almost a similar manner. Dera Ismail Khan was stated as the site of the attack in all the sources. Some sources, such as Reuters, narrowed it down and indicated that the attack occurred outside a civilian hospital (Mehsud & Ahmad, 2019). The number of casualties was also stated by all the sources, though there were some differences. The majority of the sources stated that eight people died while 26 were injured. The New York Times claimed that the attack killed nine people and injured at least 30 more (Masood, 2019). The motive of the attack was also stated by some of the newspapers. Reuters stated that Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed the attack. According to the group's spokesman, the attack was a revenge for the killing of their members (Mehsud & Ahmad, 2019). All the sources also claimed that the suicide bomber was a woman, though the terrorist group countered this account and produced a photograph of a man who had allegedly carried out the attack (Masood, 2019). It is also indicated in all the sources that the attack was two-pronged. Two policemen were attacked at a checkpoint, and then the suicide bomber unleashed the second attack when the police were taken to hospital (Hashim, 2019). Therefore, all the sources reported the details of the attack in entirety, though the figures slightly varied between some sources.

The Credibility of the Evidence

The evidence presented in the reports was obtained from the police and the terrorist group. The number of casualties was obtained from the police. The progression of the attacks was also described by the police (Hashim, 2019). Information given by the terrorist group was also used sparingly in the reports. For instance, the motive of the attack, as presented in the reports, was communicated by the group. The information given by the police force can be considered credible. However, the information provided by the terrorist group's spokesman might have been an advancement of a certain agenda. For instance, the stated motive might have been aimed at slowing down the counterterrorism police. Moreover, the vehement denial that the suicide bomber was female might also have been meant to show that women were not used in their activities.

Depiction of Gender

All the sources mentioned that the suicide bomber might have been a woman. It was also indicated that the terrorist group countered this claim and provided the photograph of the man who allegedly detonated himself. However, the majority of the newspapers did not delve deeper into the issue of the increasing involvement of women in terror. It is only the New York Times that pursued this path albeit superficially. The newspaper indicated that only a few suicide attacks had been carried out by women in the country (Masood, 2019). Through this omission, the papers failed to show the increasing role of women in terrorist attacks. Hence, as studies have shown, there exists a disconnect between the roles played by women in terror and the representation of their actions in media (Cruise, 2016).

Discussion of Conclusions

In conclusion, all the sources indicated that the number of terrorist attacks in the region was on a decline. As such, the reader would have easily gotten to the same conclusion by reading one or all the newspapers. However, since the New York Times delved a little deeper into the involvement of women in suicide attacks, failure to read it would have left the reader thinking that attacks by women were rare, though they are actually on the rise around the world.

References

Bigio, J., & Vogelstein, R. (2019, September 11). Why understanding the role of women is vital in the fight against terrorism. Retrieved from The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/09/10/why-understanding-role-women-is-vital-fight-against-terrorism/

Cruise, R. S. (2016). Enough with the Stereotypes: Representations of Women in Terrorist Organizations. Social Science Quarterly, 97(1), 33-43. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ssqu.12250

Hashim, A. (2019, July 21). Several killed in twin attacks in Pakistan's Dera Ismail Khan. Retrieved from Aljazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/killed-twin-attacks-pakistan-dera-ismail-khan-190721063358029.html

Masood, S. (2019, July 21). Taliban Attack Security Checkpoint and Hospital in Pakistan. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/21/world/asia/taliban-attack-hospital-pakistan.html

Mehsud, S., & Ahmad, J. (2019, July 21). Female suicide bomber kills eight in northwest Pakistan. Retrieved from Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-attack/female-suicide-bomber-kills-eight-in-northwest-pakistan-idUSKCN1UG08J