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Paper short abstract:

This proposal aims to encourage a critical approach to Women's involvement in terrorism in post 9/11 context. In the past, it was men who were at the forefront of the terrorist movement. Today, however, the images broadcast by media give us a new understanding of Terrorism.

Paper long abstract:

Traditionally, terrorism has been perceived as a male domain, a perception reinforced by mainstream media, where women do not play major roles. On 28 January 2002, Wafa Idris was the first woman to carry out a suicide attack in the name of the Palestinian liberation movement. This has been an inspiration to other terrorist groups around the world, particularly in Africa. What motivate terrorist groups to include women in such activities? How is this portrayed in African popular culture?

In Sahel and some of African countries, terrorist groups such as Daesh, Boko Haram and Al-Shabab are becoming increasingly creative in their strategies, especially by recruiting women in their criminal operations. Media reports say a small but growing number of women are working behind the scenes to support terrorist activities. These women, most of whom getting indoctrinated, are nicknamed “jihadist wives.” They are often coerced and threatened but others stand against to their involvement. Recently, many movies have depicted Terrorism from a sensitive gendered perspective. In this proposal, the films ,,Timbuctu“ (2014) and ,,Sira“ (2023) will be unambiguously analyzed. The issue of different interpretation of Islam in the two movies and the ideologies that underlie would be examined through the lenses of Foucault and Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis.

Through this contribution, the representation of terrorism in the two films will help to provide solutions in the war against terrorism. Because films have an important function not only as entertainment, but they also serve to negotiate existing norms in society.