'Jihad Jane': How does Al Qaeda recruit U.S.-born women?

'Jihad Jane': How does Al Qaeda recruit U.S.-born women?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20100310/ts_csm/286499

This article talks about the recent indictment of Colleen R. LaRose, who is charged as a co-conspirator in a plot to recruit others engage is a "violent jidhad" in South Asia or Europe. She is also charged with personally planning to kill a Swedish cartoonist who had drawn a controversial cartoon of of the prophet Muhammad.What makes the case noteworthy is that LaRose does not seem to fit the profile of the "typical" terrorist. With blond hair and green eyes, she is described as looking more like a "former cheerleader than a Western conception of an Islamic extremist." She apparently became involved in the extremist movement over the internet, and had posted videos on YouTube under the name "Jihad Jane" where she spoke of her desire to do something to help Islamic extremists. While LaRose has not been identified as being affiliated with any specific extremist group, it is clear that she was "radicalized" through internet communication. Counter-terrorism experts say that the recruitment of American citizens for jihads is not new, but has been rare for middle-aged women to be among those recruited.

This article seems especially relevant to the discussion we had in class today regarding terrorism. I think it illustrates the importance of the constructivist ideas of identity formation processes and norm construction. The extremist agenda only works if they can persuade people to be sympathetic to their cause and come to see the world in the same way that they do ("radicalize" them). Through her communications with other extremists, this woman adopted that identity for herself, and acted according its norms. This case is also relevant to the point raised about who we assume the Islamic extremists are and what their motivations are. If you click on the link to the article, you will see a picture of LaRose. I think you will agree that very few people expect an Islamic extremist to look like her, or (if you look at it another way) for someone who looks like her to be an Islamic extremist. It appears to me that this woman acted as she did because she genuinely believes that the extreme Islamic position is the "correct" one, not because it was attached to her political or economic interests.