Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has launched an online training course called “Tufat al-Muminat” from November 8, 2025, aimed at recruiting and radicalising women into its newly formed female brigade, Jamat ul-Muminat, NDTV reported.
The course involves daily 40-minute live sessions led by JeM chief Masood Azhar’s sisters, Sadiya and Samaira Azhar, and Umar Farooq’s wife, teaching women about jihad and their roles in the organisation. A course fee of 500 Pakistani Rupees (around ₹156) is charged per participant.
Indian intelligence agencies have flagged this as a dangerous escalation, viewing it as a digital recruitment and fundraising tool, with concerns about female suicide or fedayeen squads being developed. This move follows the official launch of the women’s wing in early October 2025 and women’s outreach events in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.
Background: JeM Women’s Wing and Online Recruitment
As per media reports, the formation of Jamat ul-Muminat marks Jaish-e-Mohammed’s first formal effort to organise women for militant activities. The wing is led by relatives of Masood Azhar, who is designated by the UN as a terrorist. This online programme leverages social and cultural restrictions on women’s mobility in Pakistan to reach potential recruits remotely.
It represents a strategic shift towards digital radicalisation akin to global jihadist groups like ISIS and Hamas. The course is not only a recruitment platform but also a fundraising mechanism, requiring payments and personal data from enrolees.
Course Details and Official Concerns
Classes begin November 8 with 40-minute daily sessions over online meeting platforms, where facilitators instruct recruits on jihad, religion, and their expected duties. Intelligence reports indicate that the group aims to prepare women for roles including potential militant attacks.
The UN and Indian security agencies continue to monitor this development closely, highlighting it as a threat to regional security and peace, given JeM’s history of cross-border terrorism. The recruitment drive is part of JeM’s broader strategy to strengthen its organisational structure using modern digital methods.
Who is Masood Azhar
Masood Azhar, born in July 1968 in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, is a UN designated terrorist and founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). After training at Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia seminary in Karachi, he became a senior leader of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. Arrested in Kashmir in 1994, he was released in 1999 following the IC-814 hijacking.
He subsequently founded JeM in 2000, which orchestrated multiple terror attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, 2016 Pathankot airbase assault, and 2019 Pulwama bombing.
Designated a global terrorist by the UN Security Council on May 1, 2019, Azhar remains a significant threat to South Asian security, with JeM reportedly backed by Pakistan’s ISI and Taliban networks.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The digital recruitment of women by terror groups highlights how technology can be misused to spread extremist ideologies and threaten peace. While online education and empowerment for women globally are positive trends, the exploitation of these platforms to indoctrinate for violence is alarming.
It calls for heightened vigilance, international collaboration, and community awareness to counter radicalisation without infringing on genuine educational access.
News in Q&A
1. What is the new online course launched by Jaish-e-Mohammed?
The course “Tufat al-Muminat” is a 40-minute daily online training programme starting on November 8, 2025, designed to recruit women into JeM’s female brigade, Jamat ul-Muminat. The sessions cover jihadist ideology, religious duties, and militant training, led by close relatives of JeM chief Masood Azhar.
2. Who is leading and organising this course?
The training is led by Sadiya and Samaira Azhar, sisters of Masood Azhar, and Afreera Farooq, wife of the terrorist Umar Farooq. They are tasked with indoctrinating women and preparing them to contribute actively to JeM’s militant objectives.
3. What is the fee structure and recruitment scope?
Participants are charged a fee of 500 Pakistani Rupees (around ₹156) to enroll. The course is also used as a fundraising platform, requiring online registration and collection of personal data. The drive targets women, especially in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, due to social restrictions on women’s movements, leveraging digital platforms for radicalisation.
4. What are the security concerns and implications?
Indian intelligence views this as a disturbing escalation of terror recruitment, indicating the possible creation of female suicide squads or fedayeen fighters. The initiative mimics strategies of other global jihadist organisations such as ISIS and Hamas, representing a strategic evolution in terrorist tactics.
5. What has been the broader context and timing of this initiative?
The women’s wing, Jamat ul-Muminat, was officially announced by Masood Azhar on October 8, 2025, followed by outreach events like “Dukhtaran-e-Islam” in Rawalkot, PoK, to encourage women’s recruitment. This is part of JeM’s ongoing strategy to expand its militant base using online and traditional gatherings.
