Bangladesh: Weaponizing gender

An article published on 12 February 2021 by Jamestown Foundation shows how the radicalization of women in Bangladesh has been used not only to spread Islamic State propaganda but also as a weapon of attack. Thomas Muller, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, explains: "One of the reasons why women are being instrumentalized for attacks, is that they are still less likely to be suspected and searched by authorities or security personnel. This confirms a trend which has already been observed for several years in Southeast Asia, especially in attacks in the Philippines and in Indonesia, most prominently in the attacks against churches in Surabaya in 2018."