Terrorism: Misogyny Identified as an Early Warning Sign

The American justice system is still grappling with the aftermath of the January 6 riot, but one key issue has yet to be addressed: misogyny. Acts of terrorism, both domestic and international, often have violence against women as a precursor. The Manchester Arena bomber, Salman Abedi, attacked a female student because he deemed her skirt too short. Elliot Rodger, the Isla Vista killer, targeted women out of his hatred for them. Dylann Roof, the Charleston shooter, cited patriarchal control over women as a motivation for his racist attack. The connection between violence against women and terrorism is evident in other cases as well.

For example, Omar Mateen, the shooter in the Orlando nightclub attack, had a history of abusing his wife. Connor Betts, who killed nine people in Dayton, Ohio, had been suspended from school for circulating a list of girls he wanted to rape. Even the January 6th insurrectionists had a record of violence against women, with one member admitting to choking his wife during a domestic dispute. Mass shootings in the US are predominantly carried out by men with a history of gender-based violence.

The case of Moussa Elhassani and his wife Samantha highlights the issue of domestic abuse and its connection to terrorism. Moussa joined ISIS not out of ideology or religion, but because it offered him a sense of entitlement, control, and violence, particularly against women. Prior to his involvement with ISIS, Moussa was physically, emotionally, and verbally abusive towards his ex-wife and Samantha. Samantha, trapped in an abusive relationship with no income of her own, ended up becoming an accomplice to Moussa’s crimes when she followed him to Syria. She served time in an American prison for aiding and abetting ISIS, making her both a victim and perpetrator of violence.

A study from Westpoint’s Combating Terrorism Center revealed that a significant number of ISIS defendants had prior arrests for domestic abuse and/or assault. Male violence, misogyny, and conservative gender roles are ingrained in the ideology of terrorist groups like ISIS, used to recruit and justify their actions. The promise of a sex-segregated, male-controlled utopia, where violence against women is encouraged, becomes a powerful lure for potential recruits.

Unfortunately, the culture around intimate partner violence in the US, which often goes unreported, under-punished, and ignored, prevents us from identifying potential terrorists. Domestic violence serves as an apprenticeship for men planning to commit acts of terrorism. While not all perpetrators of domestic abuse become terrorists, the propensity for violence and misogynistic thinking is often present in those who do.

Violence against women should not be treated as a private family matter but as a warning sign of potential larger-scale violence. Despite this, domestic abuse is often dismissed, and abusers face minimal punishment. To prevent future terrorist attacks, we must listen to victims, implement effective criminal punishments, and break the cycle of abuse before it escalates.