‘Till Martyrdom Do Us Part’: Gender and the ISIS Phenomenon

Project Title

The Syria Conflict: The Evolution of al Qaeda and other Militant Movements after the Arab Spring

Lead / Author

Erin Marie Saltman and Melanie Smith; International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence (ICSR) and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD)

Relevant Dates

Published May 2015.

Description

The authors of this study set out to gain a better understanding of why females are being radicalized and recruited into the ranks of extremist organizations. The report works to move beyond the one-dimensional idea of women as brides of foreign terrorist fighters by studying the primary push and pull factors for female ‘migrants’ joining ISIS. The authors refer to Western females who travel as migrants and not ‘fighters’ because they are prohibited from involvement in combat. In addition to looking at broad patterns, the research includes in-depth studies of seven English-speaking female migrants, to examine their motivations, worldviews and roles in greater detail. As well, the research aims to contribute to the growing literature on the roles of women in countering processes of recruitment and radicalization to violence, and how such work can be better supported.

The research draws extensively from the Foreign Terrorist Fighter (FTF) database, developed by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence (ICSR) in the course of its Kanishka Project ‘Syria Conflict’ initiative. At the time of publication, the database, considered the largest tracking Western terrorist fighters and female migrants, held social media material on over 100 female profiles. The report also draws on interviews with two former female Islamist extremists that are now working as mentors for the prevention of radicalization to violence.

Select Findings

The authors note that, similarly to research on male foreign terrorist fighters, there is no broad profile based on socio-economic, biographical or cognitive factors of a female at risk of radicalization to violence. And similar to males, female recruits are found to be increasingly younger, and sometimes coming from average or above average socio-economic backgrounds. They also find that the ‘push factors’ for female migrants are similar to those commonly regarded as motivations for male fighters. These include feelings that Muslims are being oppressed, frustration over the lack of international action in Syria, and a sense of social isolation in their communities in the West. Contrary to some public commentary, the authors argue that the assumption that females join ISIS primarily as brides of fighters is an over simplification. Instead, among the cases studied, the report finds a variety of reasons for joining, as well as multiple roles once on the ground in Syria, including wives, mothers, nurses or teachers.

The authors also highlight the role that female migrants play in disseminating propaganda and recruiting other Western women. Messages to those back in the West include that in ISIS-controlled territory the female migrants found camaraderie, sisterhood, and a sense of belonging and meaning through the belief that they are helping build an idealized society. According to the study, once female migrants are in ISIS territory they play an important role in state-building efforts and ensuring transmission of the ISIS ideology of religious duty to the next generation, including an increasing amount of ISIS propaganda that emphasizes how women are valued as mothers of the next generation and guardians of the ideology. In this context, the authors note, for example, how widows of ISIS fighters are glorified, and how they eulogize their husbands as martyrs through photographs, anecdotes and celebrations of death.

At the same time, the authors find evidence that the daily lives for female migrants involve severe conditions and domestic isolation, which could serve as powerful counter-narratives. More generally, the report argues that as more Western females migrate to ISIS territory, and increasingly take up roles in propaganda and recruitment, there is a greater need for developing preventive and de-radicalization measures tailored to the gender dynamics involved. The authors note that until recently, female roles and gender dynamics have received only limited attention for counter-narrative and counter-extremism messaging. For such reasons, the report emphasizes that it is increasingly important that the role of women within countering violent extremism sectors expand to include credible female voices to reach young women.