Al Qaeda Tells Women to Be Suicide Bombers

I was just about to shut my computer down when I realized that there are two pieces of breaking news that I have to share with you.

First, according to ABC journalist Mark Schone, "Zawahiri's Wife Releases Statement, Tells Women They Can Be Suicide Bombers."

What's this? The twisted triumph of feminism, Islamist-style? Why is Zawahiri allowing one of his four (or more) wives to take such an active public role?

Omaima Hassan first tells women that their primary role is that of bearing and breeding a jihadic fighter's sons. She counsels women to support jihad by keeping the warrior's secrets and his home, and by wearing hijab. But then, in an unconfirmed report, she goes further.

"Hassan also suggests that women can become suicide bombers, which she refers to as 'martyrdom missions.'"

This is certainly different from what her husband said in 2008, in a "two-hour recorded interview posted on a web site." Zawahiri, who is believed to be in Pakistan, insisted "that Al Qaeda did not have women members, and that the role of women in jihad was limited to taking care of the children of fighters and maintaining their homes."

One conclusion: Watch out for suicide bombers wearing burqas.

The second piece of breaking news concerns the vote just taken at the United Nations. According to L. Bennett Graham, Legislative and International Programs Officer at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the "Defamation of Religions" resolution passed the General Assembly in New York earlier today. It did so "by a vote of 80 in favor, 61 against, and 42 abstentions. As a matter of comparison, last year's General Assembly passed the resolution by a vote of 86 in favor, 53 against, and 42 abstentions (in other words, the difference in last year's votes was 33, this year it was only 19). In 2006, 111 countries were voting in favor of this resolution. So despite another loss, the momentum continues to go against this concept."

Schiff thanks his supporters and all those who are "taking a stand for the freedom of conscience, thought, and religion…Our combined hard work continues to pay off, and while the issue of 'defamation of religions' continues to threaten the entire concept of human rights, we are confident that civil society's voice will be fundamental in defeating this flawed concept and will ultimately bring a better understanding of freedom around the world.

There is still plenty of work to be done between now and March, when we expect the resolution to come up again before the Human Rights Council in Geneva…we look forward to working alongside you in these coming months."

Let me understand this. Al Qaeda wants burqa wearers to blow us all up but the UN does not want anyone to say that such jihad has anything to do with Islam, lest we commit a thought crime.