Swat: What about women militants?

SWAT: Militancy in Swat was actively supported and promoted not just by men but women too.

Authorities said that these women were mostly swayed by militants to their way of thinking because of their illiteracy and unawareness of the true meaning of Islam.

After the army restored peace in the region, a number of organisations have sprung up for rehabilitating men recruited by militants, but no one thought about the rehabilitation of misguided militant women.

There is, however, just one such organisation Female Emancipation and Skill Training (Feast) whose operations were inaugurated by in-charge of the military operation in Swat Major-General Ashfaq Nadeem. It is undertaking steps for rehabilitation of women who were actively promoting militancy in Swat.

Addressing reporters here, Maj-Gen Nadeem said: “The involvement of women is indispensable in society. This organisation has been started for rehabilitating women who took part in the insurgency one way or another. Regular education regarding peace, true meaning of religion and vocational training will be given to them.” He added that the programme will gradually be extended.

A woman teacher working for Feast said that women who initially entered the organisation were completely ignorant about social and religious education, but now a tangible change was visible in their attitude and behaviour.

“We are welcoming women who promoted militancy and whose men were actively involved in it. Despite being very young, they were very much inclined towards extremism. We are guiding them towards the real (meaning of) Islam, besides motivating them about right and wrong. Here we are training them in various skills and crafts too,” she said, adding that the organisation was also working for the welfare of women who were not involved in the insurgency.

A girl told The Express Tribune: “We used to go to schools till the day they were blown up by militants. We are learning different crafts here, such as stitching and tailoring.”

Thousands of girls in Swat gave up education either voluntarily or forcibly during the insurgency while militants demolished hundreds of schools describing them to be ‘anti-sharia’, leaving the girls’ future hanging in the balance.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2010.