Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a designated terrorist organization based in Pakistan, has introduced an online program with the aim of recruiting women into its newly established female unit, Jamat ul-Muminat. The course, known as Tufat al-Muminat, serves as both a recruitment initiative and a fundraising effort, requiring each participant to make a 500 Pakistani Rupees donation.
Scheduled to commence on November 8, the program will consist of daily 40-minute live sessions on online platforms. Led by women closely associated with JeM’s leadership, such as Masood Azhar’s sisters, Sadiya and Samaira Azhar, the classes will educate participants on their organizational roles focusing on jihad, religion, and Islamic ideology.
Masood Azhar recently announced the formation of Jamat ul-Muminat on October 8. Subsequently, a follow-up event named Dukhtaran-e-Islam took place in Rawalkot in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir on October 19 to attract women to the group. Exploiting online channels due to conservative social norms in Pakistan that limit women’s mobility, JeM aims to recruit women into terror units inspired by organizations like ISIS, Hamas, and LTTE, potentially involving suicide or fedayeen missions.
Participants in the course are required to contribute 500 PKR and share personal information through an online form as part of the group’s fundraising strategy. This approach has drawn attention to Pakistan’s double standards on terrorism, as it allows organizations like JeM to openly raise funds under the pretext of religious or online educational activities despite claiming compliance with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) regulations publicly.
The leadership of the women’s brigade has been entrusted to Sadiya Azhar, Masood Azhar’s younger sister. The Shura (council) also comprises Safia Azhar and Afreera Farooq, the wife of Umar Farooq, the perpetrator of the 2019 Pulwama attack who was later eliminated in a confrontation with Indian security forces.