Bellicose Women, Part XXX:

March 1st, 2012

Bellicose Women, Part XXX:

David Kopel

The Volokh Conspiracy

October 14, 2005

Jordanian brigadier general Aisha Bint Al Hussein carries on a long and honorable tradition of expertise

at arms among Bedouin women. As reported by StrategyPage:

“In the 19th century, when firearms became common among the Bedouin,

women became even more lethal as warriors, because firing a rifle did

not require the muscle of the older weapons (swords, spears and bows.)

In Saudi Arabia…the older women still remember the freedom women had

as recently as the 1950s. During that time, Islamic conservatives began

imposing more restrictions on women as the Bedouin nomads settled down.

But in Jordan, the women still have much freedom, in the ancient

Bedouin tradition. This causes some friction, as the urban and rural

Arabs adopted a much more restrictive attitude towards women. However,

the old ways are remembered, and are increasingly being seen as the

future for women in the Middle East.”

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Bellicose Women, Part XXIX, India:

David Kopel

The Volokh Conspiracy

October 14, 2005

Since September 11, 2001, Glenn Reynolds has run at least 28 items

about “bellicose women” taking up arms to defend their families and

communities from terrorists. Thanks to the excellent pro-rights

newsletter “News from the Sight,” I found that Muslim women in Kashmir

(many of the men are working in Gulf States) have founded a Village

Defense Committee to protect their towns from Islamic terrorists. One

mother explains, “It is an amazing feeling to hold a gun in one’s hand

for a noble cause…I am proud to be fighting a jihad against these

marauders who cheated us of our dignity and honor.”

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