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Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), already designated a terrorist organization by the United Nations, has launched a new initiative that exposes how extremist groups are evolving their recruitment models in the digital era. The group has rolled out an online training course for women, “Tufat al-Muminat,” charging a participation fee of 500 Pakistani rupees. JeM’s new online “jihadi course” for women marks a dangerous digital shift in radicalization methods. By creating Jamat ul-Muminat, the women’s wing of the terror group, and delivering indoctrination through virtual classes, JeM is exploiting Pakistan’s social restrictions on women to expand recruitment while skirting financial and regulatory scrutiny. What Is Jaish-e-Mohammed’s Online Jihadi Course? According to documents accessed by NDTV, Jaish-e-Mohammed has introduced an online religious course titled Tufat al-Muminat (“Gift to the Faithful Women”), led by family members of JeM founder Masood Azhar. The course is designed to “educate” and recruit women under the banner of Jamat ul-Muminat — a newly formed female unit within the organization. Classes are set to begin on November 8, with 40-minute daily lectures delivered by Azhar’s sisters, Sadiya Azhar and Samaira Azhar. The lectures reportedly combine religious instruction with ideological conditioning, encouraging women to embrace the group’s radical agenda and support male fighters. Sadiya Azhar has been appointed the head of the women’s wing, while her husband, Yusuf Azhar, killed earlier in an Indian airstrike in Bahawalpur, is remembered within the group as a “martyr.” Recruitment efforts are also extending to relatives of JeM operatives killed in past terror incidents, including Afreer Farooq, wife of Umar Farooq, one of the Pahalgam attackers. Here’s a breakdown of how this online recruitment system is structured: The Structure of JeM’s Online Women’s Program Why This Development Matters A Shift in Terrorist Recruitment Models The launch of Tufat al-Muminat signals a strategic evolution in how extremist groups in South Asia recruit and mobilize followers. Traditionally, terrorist networks like JeM relied heavily on male fighters and physical training camps. The digital transformation of this model, specifically targeting women, reflects both necessity and opportunity. Women in Pakistan often face strict cultural restrictions on movement, which extremist groups are now turning to their advantage. By offering online “religious” education, JeM can reach women who would otherwise be socially isolated, creating a pipeline of ideological recruits without triggering local suspicion. Exploiting Religious Legitimacy and Social Gaps Framing the program as a religious course is a calculated tactic. Pakistan’s conservative society often grants legitimacy to faith-based instruction, even when such platforms become tools for extremism. This blurring of lines between piety and militancy enables JeM to operate in plain sight, particularly in areas like Bahawalpur and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), where the group already enjoys influence. The 500 PKR fee, though small, underscores Pakistan’s failure to implement effective financial oversight under Financial Action Task Force (FATF) regulations. Even symbolic payments allow the organization to maintain a flow of micro-funding while avoiding large, traceable transactions. Digital Recruitment Under Religious Cover JeM’s use of digital education tools for ideological indoctrination mirrors global trends seen in ISIS’s online propaganda networks. By hosting lessons online, groups can: Bypass traditional intelligence monitoring mechanisms that target in-person gatherings. Build decentralized recruitment ecosystems, where sympathizers interact anonymously. Normalize extremist rhetoric within private digital spaces, often disguised as religious or social study circles. For Pakistan, this development presents a double-edged dilemma. While the government has publicly pledged to dismantle terror financing and curtail extremist networks, the continued operations of JeM reflect both tacit tolerance and systemic gaps in enforcement. Gendered Strategy of Radicalization Targeting women in radicalization campaigns isn’t new, but it’s gaining unprecedented sophistication. By incorporating women into its operational structure, JeM aims to: Strengthen internal cohesion within militant families. Use women as propagators of extremist ideology in domestic and community spaces. Exploit online anonymity to expand networks without direct exposure. For decades, terrorist organizations viewed women primarily as logistical or familial supporters. The emergence of Jamat ul-Muminat represents a shift from passive to active ideological engagement, giving women a role in shaping the next generation’s worldview. This also helps JeM maintain operational continuity amid crackdowns on male cadres, turning female relatives of slain operatives into digital mobilizers for the group’s next phase of expansion. Pakistan’s Contradictions on Counter-Terrorism JeM’s online drive exposes Pakistan’s contradictory posture toward terrorism. While Islamabad continues to claim compliance with FATF grey-list recommendations, ground realities reveal otherwise. The very existence of a paid online jihadi program under the nose of Pakistani authorities raises serious questions: How is an organization under UN sanctions still openly collecting money? Why are known affiliates, including Masood Azhar’s sisters, able to host public lectures online? What mechanisms exist, if any, to monitor digital radicalization networks operating from within Pakistan? These contradictions highlight not only regulatory failure but also Pakistan’s selective enforcement of counter-terrorism laws, often influenced by domestic politics and regional security dynamics. Regional and Global Implications India’s Security Concerns For India, JeM’s digital pivot represents a new front in asymmetric warfare. The group’s online initiatives could facilitate cross-border ideological recruitment, making it harder to track infiltration routes based on physical training or movement. The International Dimension Globally, JeM’s strategy aligns with emerging digital jihad ecosystems, where encrypted messaging apps and closed platforms are used for coordination, fundraising, and propaganda. Counter-terrorism agencies worldwide are increasingly concerned about how “virtual madrasas” can radicalize isolated demographics under religious pretenses. The launch of Tufat al-Muminat thus not only deepens the threat matrix for South Asia but also contributes to a broader normalization of online extremism — a challenge that transcends borders. How This Changes Counter-Terrorism Dynamics and What Should Be Done This development signals a critical inflection point in the fight against terrorism. Traditional counter-terrorism frameworks, designed to track training camps and funding networks, are no longer sufficient in the face of digital radicalization. What Needs to Happen Next Enhanced Digital Surveillance: Governments and tech companies must strengthen monitoring of extremist-linked content disguised as religious education. International Pressure on Pakistan: Global agencies, including FATF and the UN Security Council, must demand accountability for JeM’s ongoing operations. Community-Based Counter-Radicalization: Empowering moderate Islamic scholars and digital educators to counter extremist narratives online. Public Awareness Campaigns: Educating communities, especially women, about online recruitment tactics and the dangers of ideological manipulation. The creation of JeM’s Tufat al-Muminat is more than a recruitment gimmick, it’s a blueprint for how terrorism evolves in the digital age. By blending faith, technology, and gendered outreach, groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed are adapting faster than state systems meant to contain them. Recognizing and countering this shift requires more than condemnation. It demands digital vigilance, transnational cooperation, and social resilience to prevent a new generation of online radicalization, one that now, alarmingly, includes women as both targets and agents.
