Saturday, March 29, 2025
Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) has launched an online training and recruitment programme aimed at women, media reports say, in what security analysts call a worrying expansion of the group’s outreach and fundraising methods. The initiative — reported under the name “Tufat al-Muminat” (often rendered Tufat/Tufat al-Muminat in press coverage) — is said to be linked to JeM’s recently announced female unit, Jamaat-ul-Mominat, and will reportedly charge a fee of 500 Pakistani rupees (roughly the amount reported by multiple outlets) per participant.
According to several Indian and international news organisations, the online course is slated to begin in early November and will consist of short daily sessions conducted via online platforms; reporting attributes instruction and leadership roles to female relatives of JeM leadership, including sisters of JeM chief Masood Azhar. The material is described as religious-and-jihad oriented, with the stated aim of indoctrinating and recruiting women into JeM’s female brigade.
JeM announced the creation of the women’s wing, Jamaat-ul-Mominat, earlier in October, and held public events in Pakistan-administered Kashmir to promote female recruitment. Indian security sources and analysts have expressed concern that the move mirrors a trend among extremist groups to use digital platforms to widen their support base, raise funds and normalise the participation of women in organisational activities.
Security and counter-terrorism experts warn that online recruitment initiatives lower barriers to radicalisation by allowing groups to reach larger, more diverse audiences while obscuring organisers’ identities and logistics. Governments and tech platforms face the dual challenge of countering extremist propaganda while protecting legitimate online speech — a complex policy problem now brought into sharper focus by JeM’s reported digital drive.
Official responses: So far there has been no public confirmation from Pakistani authorities acknowledging or endorsing the course; international agencies and regional security watchers say they are monitoring developments closely. Indian security agencies have historically tracked JeM’s activities and are likely to keep this latest development under surveillance given the group’s UN-designated status and past links to cross-border militancy.
Why this matters: The reported move shows an evolution in militant strategy — expanding recruitment to women and monetising outreach via low-fee online programmes — which could complicate counter-radicalisation and law-enforcement efforts across South Asia and the diaspora. It also underscores the ongoing role of family networks within some militant organisations and the way such groups adapt to digital environments to sustain activity and fundraising.
