Culpability in Terrorism Law

Gendered Dimensions of Responsibility
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-1-5099-9801-2
Verlag: Bloomsbury Publishing plc

Buch, Englisch, 336 Seiten, Hardback, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 474 g

Reihe: Hart Publishing

The book offers a pioneering and deeply insightful examination of one of the most challenging dilemmas in contemporary counterterrorism and international law: how to legally and morally assess the responsibility of female suicide bombers affiliated with terrorist groups such as Boko Haram.

It exposes a critical legal blind spot where female bombers are caught in a "grey zone" - neither fully prosecuted nor released - due to conflicting norms around gender, victimhood, and terrorism.

Drawing on extensive research including interviews, case studies of failed suicide bombers, and legal analysis of terrorism cases, it develops a novel culpability framework that moves beyond simplistic notions of guilt or innocence.

By exploring the complex spectrum of moral and legal responsibility, this framework offers a much-needed tool for policymakers, judges, practitioners, academics and students dealing with terrorism, war crimes, and transitional justice. It challenges prevailing gender stereotypes that often either criminalise women excessively or excuse them arbitrarily and instead provides a nuanced approach that recognises female bombers as individuals whose actions range from coerced victimhood to accountable perpetrators.

More than a legal study, this book humanises the lived realities of women involved in violent extremism and highlights the urgent need for legal systems worldwide to adapt. It is essential reading for scholars, legal professionals, policymakers, and anyone interested in terrorism, gender, human rights, and international justice.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Muhammed-Oyebode, Aisha

Fachgebiete

• Rechtswissenschaften Internationales Recht und Europarecht Internationales Recht Internationales Strafrecht, Internationales Verfahrensrecht
• Rechtswissenschaften Ausländisches Recht Common Law (UK, USA, Australien u.a.)
• Rechtswissenschaften Recht, Rechtswissenschaft Allgemein Rechtssoziologie, Rechtspsychologie, Rechtslinguistik
• Rechtswissenschaften Internationales Recht und Europarecht Internationales Recht Internationale Menschen- und Minderheitenrechte, Kinderrechte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction: Legal Invisibility and the Grey Zone
1. Triangulating Complexity
2. Case Studies - Real-World Contexts and Narratives
3. Moral Responsibility and Philosophical Foundations
4. Complicity and the Limits of Legal Doctrine
5. Terrorism, Law, and Gendered Invisibility
6. Developing a Culpability Framework
7. Rethinking Justice for Female Actors in Terrorism

Über Autor(innen)

Muhammed-Oyebode, Aisha
Aisha Oyebode is a human rights advocate focused on terrorism and gendered culpability. She advises governments and contributes to global initiatives at the Harvard Kennedy School and the University of Pennsylvania, USA.

Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode is a human rights advocate focused on terrorism and gendered culpability. She advises governments and contributes to global initiatives at the Harvard Kennedy School and the University of Pennsylvania, USA.