Women terrorists 'abandon extremism after counselling'

[bamalli]

Women terrorists 'abandon extremism after counselling'

Riyadh: An official source at the Ministry of Interior announced that Saudi
Arabia was not holding any women terrorists in its prisons.

"All those women who were detained for their extremist links have been
released. All of them abandoned their deviant ideologies, thanks to the
counselling programmes, organised by the authorities, " the ministry source
was quoted by Saudi Arabic dailies as saying.

The source said that the counselling programmes, held at the women's homes
in the presence of their family members, were a resounding success.

Almost all women, who were caught for their extremist links, underwent
counselling programme at their homes.

The only exception was a Bosnian woman, the wife of Younus Al Hayari, one of
the most wanted terrorists who was killed in an encounter with the security
forces in east of Riyadh three years ago. The woman was imprisoned for some
time and was later deported.

Among the women who repented for having extremist ideologies and returned to
normal life was Ummu Osama, who was once the leader of Al Qaida women's wing
in the kingdom. Saudi Television also carried a detailed story of Ummu
Osama's harrowing experience with the terror cell.

The young Egyptian woman once served as the supervisor of Al Khanza website,
founded by Abdul Aziz Al Moqrin, leader of Al Qaida cell in Saudi Arabia,
who was killed in 2004.

Ummu Osama abandoned Al Qaida and repented as a result of the counselling
programme, organised with the Interior Ministry officials in cooperation
with her family members. She is now leading a normal life with her father in
Madinah.

Al Qaida dismissed her from the terror cell, calling her a hypocrite. Al
Qaida tried to recruit women into the terror cell mainly through Al Khanza
website, which no longer exists. Al Khanza was the daughter of the second
Caliph Omar, and a famous poet in Islam.

Several foreign media, including ABC television network, and French
newspaper Le Monde, carried reports about the women's website of Al Qaida.
In an interview published in 2003, Ummu Osama explained about Al Qaida's
strategy to recruit women by making use of the website.