Muslim mothers from Belgium to Indonesia in fight against extremism

So-called Mother Schools are teaching Muslim women how to spot early signs of radicalisation in children or develop coping mechanisms if the intervention comes too late.

Trainer Maynat Kurbanova, left, congratulates a graduate of Mother Schools in Vienna. Dieter Nagl / AFP

VIENNA // There were little signs that Fatima Ezzarhouni’s son was changing: he prayed more and swapped jeans for traditional long tunics.

“But I wasn’t worried. Not for one second did Syria enter my mind,” says the Belgian mother.

And yet that is where the young man went in June 2013 when he left his home in the Belgian city of Antwerp, a day after his 18th birthday, to join militants.

Almost three years on, Ms Ezzarhouni gets the occasional phone call from her son confirming he is still alive, but never revealing his exact location.

“I have this feeling that I will never see him again,” says the 44-year-old, fighting back tears. “But at least now I know I’m not alone anymore.”

Ms Ezzarhouni is one of the newest members of a global project that fights extremism – not with soldiers, but mothers.

The so-called Mother Schools teach Muslim women how to spot early signs of radicalisation in children or develop coping mechanisms if the intervention comes too late.

After completing a 10-module course, the graduates then go on to train other women.

The Vienna-based Women Without Borders (WWB) organisation created the initiative in cooperation with antiterrorism experts from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), also based in the Austrian capital.

Though independent, the WWB received funding from various Austrian ministries, the European Union and the US state department.

“Women are so well placed to work in the security arena because this is a mission about safeguarding their families,” WWB founder Edit Schlaffer says.

“They are in direct competition with recruiters, those toxic influences from mosques who step in when children reach adolescence and tell them: ‘You’re wonderful, glory is waiting for you, join us in building the caliphate’.”

Although there are other female-run programmes targeting radicalisation in various countries, the WWB project is the only global one.

The first school opened in 2012 in Tajikistan – an extremist breeding ground next to Afghanistan – before branches were set up in other nations plagued by violence, such as Pakistan and Nigeria.

In February, WWB organised its first training session for the initiative in Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population.

Although most Muslims practise a moderate form of faith in the South-East Asian country, ISIL has provided a potent rallying cry for extremists. Hundreds are thought to have joined the militant group in Syria and Iraq.

“We heard from other mothers whose children were recruited by extremists. We could see what their strategies are, which is very relevant,” says Mother School participant Khotimun Susanti.

“Indonesian women are not used to speaking out, so we learnt that we need to develop this culture of openness.”

Ms Schlaffer stresses that a key part of the programme focused on current affairs.

“I’ve met mothers in Indonesia who thought their sons had gone off to work as foreign labourers in Syria. They had no clue where Syria was. When I told them it was a war zone, they broke down,” she says.

The project is also taking root in Europe, where terrorists have been spreading fear with a string of attacks, the latest hitting Brussels on March 22.

While schools in Austria and Belgium are up and running, others will open in Britain and Sweden this year.

Ms Ezzarhouni says she first heard about the initiative from another Belgian mother, Saliha Ben Ali, whose 19-year-old son Sabri died in Syria three years ago.

“Sabri’s radicalisation was very fast, it happened in three months and we didn’t see the signs,” says Ms Ben Ali, a social worker from the city of Vilvoorde, near Brussels.

“Four days after he had left, he sent his first message: ‘Please mum, don’t be angry. I came here to help Syrian people because nobody helps them’.”

Both Ms Ezzarhouni and Ms Ben Ali recently attended a Mother Schools workshop in Vienna, which united Muslim women from around the globe to share their experiences and receive training on engaging their communities back home.

“These women have given me hope,” says Ms Ezzarhouni.

“There are many people who see us as mothers of terrorists. But we are mothers of courage.”

* Agence France-Presse