About the Series

The webinar series aims to identify a conceptual understanding and appreciation of the importance of rehabilitation and aftercare efforts in countering violent extremism. Driven by empirical evidence and case studies, the webinar series also intends to provide an overview on terrorist and extremist rehabilitation and deradicalisation efforts as well as the latest trends and developments in the landscape.

Abstract

The profile of women and children has risen in terrorism related activities, particularly after the Islamic State garnered global attention in the mid-2010s and attracted its followers to migrate to its so-called caliphate. After its fall, those who had lived under IS’ control or perceived to be IS supporters, followers or partners were placed in refugee camps in Northeast Syria. The largest camp, Al Hol camp, presently houses approximately 65,000 individuals. It is estimated that 10,000 are foreign nationals and over 94% are women and children. While debate is ongoing regarding the role these women and children played in the former IS-run territory, other women and children in Southeast Asia were known to have been involved in terrorist activities, viz recruitment, propaganda and attack/suicide operations such as the 2018 Surabaya bombings. While men continue to be the main perpetrators of terrorism in the region, there is recognition that strategies must be in place to avert the rise of family involvement in terrorism and address the issue of women and children radicals.

In this webinar, our three experts will examine the overview of women and children’s participation in terrorism and provide a general landscape of strategies of rehabilitation for women and children. The webinar will also discuss family reintegration and aftercare measures in parallel with the importance of preventing the spread of extremist ideology among families during the rehabilitation process.

Speakers

Nur Irfani Saripi is a counselor with the Religious Rehabilitation Group, Singapore. She graduated from Al-Azhar University, Egypt with a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Jurisprudence and obtained a MSc in Strategic Studies from S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), NTU, Singapore. A former Associate Research Fellow at RSIS, she is an accredited religious teacher under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) administered by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore. In her capacity as an RRG volunteer, Ustazah Irfani provides emotional support and religious counselling to wives of detainees involved in terror-related activities and women affected by extremist ideology. She is involved in community engagements to raise awareness on the prevention and countering of violent extremism, in addition to rehabilitation efforts for affected families.

Dwi Rubiyanti Kholifah is the Director for the Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN), with a focus on the role of women in peacebuilding and interfaith cooperation. Born and raised in Indonesia, she assists young Muslim scholars conducting research on Muslims responding to modernity and globalization. She is active in writing articles regarding women’s issues, minority rights, and the role of women in peacebuilding in journals and online and offline media. She has authored several books including “Contesting Discourse on Sexuality and Sexual Subjectivity Among Single Muslim Women in Pesantren” (2010) and co-authored “The Future of Feminisms: Confronting Fundamentalism, Conflict and Neo-liberalism” (2012). Ms Kholifah attained her bachelor’s degree in Literature from Universitas Jember, Indonesia and earned a Master’s degree in Health and Social Science at Mahidol University in Thailand.