Al Qaida's stance on women sparks debate

Cairo: Muslim extremist women are challenging Al Qaida's refusal to include or even acknowledge women in its ranks.

Al Qaida deputy leader Ayman Al Zawahiri said in April that the terrorist group does not have women and that a woman's role is limited to caring for Al Qaida fighters.

His remarks, published on an Islamist website, prompted an emotional gender debate and an outcry from women who are fighting for the right to be terrorists.

A'eeda Dahsheh from Lebanon said she supports Al Zawahiri but at the same time she also supports any woman who chooses to take part in terror attacks.

Another woman protested on the internet: "How many times have I wished I were a man ... When Shaikh Ayman Al Zawahiri said there are no women in Al Qaida, he saddened and hurt me."

Site Intelligence Group, an organisation that monitors militant websites, said women were disappointed because what Al Zawahiri said is far from reality in the Middle East.

"Suicide operations are being carried out by women, who play an important role in jihad," said Rita Katz, the group's director.