JeM launches online ‘jihadi course’ to recruit women; Masood Azhar’s sisters to lead unit

International News: Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has launched an online course called 'Tufat al-Muminat' to recruit and raise money for its new women’s wing, Jamat ul-Muminat, according to officials familiar with the matter said.

Online Training Led by Masood Azhar’s Sisters

The online course is meant to “influence and recruit” women into JeM’s female unit through religious and jihad-based teachings. The 40-minute daily classes, starting from November 8, will be held online and led by JeM founder Masood Azhar’s sisters, Sadiya Azhar and Samaira Azhar. Each woman joining the course must pay Rs 500 (500 Pakistani rupees) as a donation, officials said. One of them added that women related to JeM leaders, including Masood Azhar’s family members and other top commanders’ relatives, will guide participants about their duties in the name of jihad and Islam.

Formation of JeM’s Women’s Wing

This move comes soon after Masood Azhar, who is listed as a global terrorist by the UN, announced the launch of Jamat ul-Muminat on October 8 at Markaz Usman-o-Ali in Bahawalpur. On October 19, JeM also held a gathering named Dukhtaran-e-Islam in Rawalkot, in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, to attract women to the new group. Sources said that due to Pakistan’s conservative culture, which limits women’s public activities, JeM has shifted to online platforms for recruitment. The group reportedly aims to build a women’s unit like those of ISIS, Hamas, and LTTE, possibly using them in suicide or fedayeen missions.

Fundraising Under a New Name

The Rs 500 course fee shows how Pakistan-based terror groups keep raising money in different ways despite the country’s claims of following the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) rules, sources added. Masood Azhar has chosen his younger sister, Sadiya Azhar — the widow of JeM commander Yusuf Azhar, who was killed in India’s Operation Sindoor — to head Jamat ul-Muminat. Other leaders in the council include his sister Safia and Afreera Farooq, wife of Pulwama attack conspirator Umar Farooq, who died in a clash with Indian forces.

Focus on Vulnerable Women Recruits

Experts monitoring JeM’s activities said the group is targeting the wives of its fighters and poor women studying at its centres in Bahawalpur, Karachi, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Haripur, and Mansehra. A senior counter-terror officer said that after Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam attack, JeM realised women could help avoid security checks and manage logistics or propaganda work. This online course is part of that plan. Earlier, JeM, a Deobandi-based organisation, did not allow women to take part in jihad. But intelligence inputs suggest that Masood Azhar and his brother, Talha al-Saif, have now approved women’s participation in their network. The move reflects strategies used by ISIS, Boko Haram, Hamas, and LTTE, which have all employed female fighters and suicide bombers in the past.