

Women are playing an increasingly significant role in terrorism. As men are increasingly targeted by security personnel using female operatives provides terrorist organizations with a ‘win-win’ scenario; if security forces avoid invasively searching women for fear of outraging the local conservative population [based on social norms of women's modesty and the honor code], women are the ideal stealth weapon. If security personnel are too aggressive in searching women, they aid terrorist recruitment by outraging the men in that society and providing the terrorists with propaganda that ‘our women’ are being violated. In most conflicts, women remain an untapped resource. Recruiting women allows terrorist organizations to access an additional 50% of the population. Female attacks generate greater media attention than those conducted by men. This is especially relevant where media attention is one of the terrorists' main objectives. Although women's involvement in terrorist and extremist activities is not a recent development, their presence as front-line activists, propagandists, and recruiters is increasing around the globe. [1].