Brides of the Islamic State

Beginning in 2012, dozens of girls and women travelled to Iraq and Syria to join the Islamic State, becoming brides of Islamic State fighters.

## Background

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Most jihadist organisations engage in a religious-ideological struggle, in which militant violence is viewed as a sacred duty (martyrdom) and the primary strategy for waging jihad.[1] Historically, jihadist organisations have refrained from recruiting women into their ranks for cultural and religious reasons, despite the fact that women often faced fewer obstacles, such as security checks and body searches, when carrying out terrorist attacks due to religious taboos on physical interaction between men and women.[2] Concepts such as mahram—which dictates that women must be accompanied by their husband or a male relative—and the emphasis on sexual purity traditionally confined women to domestic roles as wives and mothers, as warzones were deemed a threat to these religious and social values.[3]

However, since the early 21st century, this custom has shifted. Women have increasingly been deployed as suicide bombers and have assumed key roles in planning future attacks.[4]

## Women in IS

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Women of ISIL

Main article: Islamic State

Further information: Collaboration with the Islamic State

See also: Women in Islam

The establishment of the Islamic State and its institutions resulted in the relatively high incorporation of women into the organisation, due to a demand of people fulfilling non-militant roles within the state-building project of IS.[5] Beginning in 2012, dozens of girls and women travelled to Iraq and Syria to join the Islamic State, becoming brides of Islamic State fighters. While some travelled voluntarily, including three British schoolgirls known as the Bethnal Green trio,[6][7] others were taken to IS-controlled territories as minors, either by their families or through coercion.[8][9]

Within IS, women's primary role was that of a wife and mother. As the wife of an IS fighter, a woman was expected to support her husband by performing domestic duties such as cooking, cleaning, and providing sexual comfort, while he engaged in what was perceived as a divine jihad.[10] As mothers, women were responsible for raising the next generation of fighters, which was seen as a religious duty.[11]

Drawing inspiration from Iran and Saudi Arabia, IS implemented a state-building strategy that included gender-segregated parallel institutions.[12] These women-led sections addressed female-related affairs within the so-called Caliphate, limiting intersex interaction while enabling women to contribute to IS's governance structure.[13]

One such women-led initiative focused on IS's propaganda efforts via social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp.[14] Female recruiters leveraged the growing presence of women within IS as a tool to persuade other foreign women to join, while also providing guidance on the risks and logistics of travelling to IS-controlled territories.[14][15]

Many of these women gained public notoriety either for their role in recruitment, their deaths, or their subsequent renouncement of IS and attempts to return to their home countries. Analysts have noted the difficulty in distinguishing between women who were active participants in IS's atrocities and those who were confined to domestic roles.[16][17]

## Notable women who aided Islamic State or attempted to do so

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### Australia

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* Mariam Dabboussy
* Zehra Duman

### Austria

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* Samra Kesinovic
* Sabina Selimovic

### Canada

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* Kimberly Gwen Polman

### France

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* Hayat Boumeddiene
* Emilie Konig

### Germany

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* Linda Wenzel

### Ireland

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* Lisa Smith

### Morocco

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* Fatiha Mejjati

### New Zealand

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* Suhayra Aden

### United Kingdom

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* Amira Abase
* Shamima Begum
* Sharmeena Begum
* Sally Jones
* Aqsa Mahmood
* Tareena Shakil
* Kadiza Sultana

### United States

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* Samantha Marie Elhassani (maintains she did not join willingly)
* Jaelyn Delshaun Young (attempted)
* Daniela Greene
* Hoda Muthana

## See also

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* Women in Islam
* List of Islamic State members

## References

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1. ^ Khelghat-Doost, Hamoon (2017). "Women of the Caliphate: the Mechanism for Women's Incorporation into the Islamic State (IS)". Perspectives on Terrorism. 11 (1): 18.
2. ^ Khelghat-Doost, Hamoon (2017). "Women of the Caliphate: the Mechanism for Women's Incorporation into the Islamic State (IS)". Perspectives on Terrorism. 11 (1): 18.
3. ^ Khelghat-Doost, Hamoon (2017). "Women of the Caliphate: the Mechanism for Women's Incorporation into the Islamic State (IS)". Perspectives on Terrorism. 11 (1): 18–19.
4. ^ Spencer, Amanda (2016). "The Hidden Face of Terrorism: An Analysis of the Women in Islamic State". Journal of Strategic Security. 9 (3): 78.
5. ^ Khelghat-Doost, Hamoon (2017). "Women of the Caliphate: the Mechanism for Women's Incorporation into the Islamic State (IS)". Perspectives on Terrorism. 11 (1): 19.
6. ^ Anthony Loyd (13 February 2019). "Shamima Begum: Bring me home, says Bethnal Green girl who left to join Isis". The Times. Al-Hawl, Syria. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
7. ^ "Returning female jihadists should be seen as threats to the West, not ISIS 'brides'". Wellston Journal. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.[permanent dead link]
8. ^ Vikram Dodd and Esther Addley (15 February 2019). "Shamima Begum may have criminalised herself, says senior terrorism officer: Family calls for her return to the UK and considers legal action to stop government blocking it". The Guardian (UK). Archived from the original on 15 February 2019.
9. ^ "IS teen's wish to return stirs UK debate over jihadi brides". France 24. London. 15 February 2019. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019.
10. ^ Spencer, Amanda (2016). "The Hidden Face of Terrorism: An Analysis of the Women in Islamic State". Journal of Strategic Security. 9 (3): 80–82.
11. ^ Spencer, Amanda (2016). "The Hidden Face of Terrorism: An Analysis of the Women in Islamic State". Journal of Strategic Security. 9 (3): 82.
12. ^ Khelghat-Doost, Hamoon (2017). "Women of the Caliphate: the Mechanism for Women's Incorporation into the Islamic State (IS)". Perspectives on Terrorism. 11 (1): 20.
13. ^ Khelghat-Doost, Hamoon (2017). "Women of the Caliphate: the Mechanism for Women's Incorporation into the Islamic State (IS)". Perspectives on Terrorism. 11 (1): 20–21.
14. ^ a b Spencer, Amanda (2016). "The Hidden Face of Terrorism: An Analysis of the Women in Islamic State". Journal of Strategic Security. 9 (3): 85.
15. ^ Spencer, Amanda (2016). "The Hidden Face of Terrorism: An Analysis of the Women in Islamic State". Journal of Strategic Security. 9 (3): 78.
16. ^ Nabih Bulos (18 March 2019). "Were the brides of Islamic State cloistered housewives or participants in atrocities?". Hagerstown Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 20 March 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
17. ^ Abbie Cheeseman (16 March 2021). "The Islamic State brides: where are they now?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 9 April 2021.