Aafia Siddiqui's Case Study

Background Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, also known as the “Lady Al-Qaeda,” is a mother of three, trained neuroscientist and a legend in the world of terrorism. As the only female to have been placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list, Siddiqui’s case has been shrouded in secrecy, intrigue and conspiracies. Throughout the many articles, court records and stolen diplomatic cables, it is difficult to understand what is fact or fiction or to pinpoint when and if her radicalization occurred. “The US government is invested in her guilt and in the fight against terror and news media generally take their cue from national governments only rarely do they contest or modify the government’s narrative” (Gentry 2016, 20). In the end, the FBI has claimed that Siddiqui lived a double life and substantiated such claims by tying her to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), a 9/11 mastermind. To add more intrigue to Siddiqui’s story, shortly after the arrest of KSM and his admission during interrogation of Siddiqui’s involvement in Al-Qaeda, she along with her children ages 7, 5 and 6 months old vanished en route to Islamabad in 2003. She would reappear in 2008 shrouded in a burka, …show more content…
Aafia Siddiqui is a victim of the war on terror or a brilliant Al-Qaeda operative are bountiful. The key to deciding whether she is a terrorist centers on the fact that she was arrested in Afghanistan, a currently recognized battlefield, but was not labeled an enemy combatant. Her entire federal trial and conviction were based on an assault against US military and government personnel while in Afghani custody. Therefore, just as the definition of terrorism is difficult to define so is Siddiqui’s status as either a terrorist or victim. “Wars are not just physical; they are preceded and accompanied by a war of words” (Jan 2014, 77). Hence, the court of public opinion has convicted her of being a terrorist while her supporters champion her cause as a victim of