Why do women in West turn to Islamic State? For the same reasons as men
These women often hold disturbing opinions that justify violence against the West. The women espouse a radical worldview drawn from Islamist ideology. In particular, the notion of “Al-wala wal-bara” (loyalty and disavowal) has been firmly directed and applied to the non-believer and encourages absolute disassociation with the disbeliever. This ideal gives rise to a worldview that allows the activist to de-humanize all non-Muslims. This de-humanizing process provides the ideological pathway for extreme acts of violence.
Online recruitment is a particular problem. Female activists are turning to social media to post glorifying tales of life under IS authority. This could act as a lightning rod for disaffected young Muslims across the Western world.
All this comes before the threat posed by dormant returnees. Those who have returned home often exemplify a deeper hatred of the West, especially after those who have experienced the death of a husband in the wake of drone attacks. This fragmented state of being can trigger potential terror threats within the host country, and thus the report strongly recommends the need to track and monitor those who seek to return home.
Life under IS
The report also systematically documents the practical acts currently performed by female migrants. Unmarried women stay in a group hostel provided by IS, and married women who travel with their husbands are given a home.
Women do not fight for Islamic State, performing instead a range of domestic duties once they have settled in controlled regions. One migrant posted a picture of a cheesecake she had made with a friend to Twitter. The report states:
The scene in this picture, however, is not a typical household situation, as there is a grenade positioned next to the cake.
Target the recruiters
Many of the reasons given by female migrants to IS territories are the same as those espoused by their male peers. As part of my research, I am currently interviewing young male Islamists who are looking to travel to IS controlled territories. These are principally young, second-generation Muslims, who feel alienated from British society.
They tell me their ideological motivation is two-fold: to live under the banner of “true Islam” and to participate in the global jihad. These young men have been radicalized by a selective ideology, which draws upon an alarmist worldview (for example that Islam and Muslims are under threat). This promotes a rapid response, as the threat posed is perceived as immediate. Salafi-jihadist groups in the U.K. have been extremely effective at turning this rhetoric into a significant operation.
Authorities must target these Islamist groups acting as a recruitment base for both men and women migrating to IS territories. A counter-narrative should be conveyed to those young Muslims who feel disassociated with British society. In the case of young women, the report identifies families as playing a key role in persuading would-be migrants to stay in the West, or using practical measures such as withholding money or passports to prevent their daughters from leaving.
At the organizational level, the individuals who radicalize young people should be targeted. This can be done using banning and control orders for known radicals. The fight must also be taken to social media, which is acting as a new frontier for the Islamic State’s campaign of terror.
Farhaan Wali is Lecturer in Religious Studies at Bangor University . This story is published courtesy of The Conversation (under Creative Commons-Attribution/No derivatives).
