Abstract

Why do women not run away from a violent anti-feminist group like ISIS even though gender norms dictate that women shall be peaceful, stereotypes highlight that they are peace-loving, and rationality directs that they should not leave their patriarchal societies only to join another mini patriarchal one? This thesis aimed to answer this question and focused on non-Western ISIS female members. Notably, this study was merely interested in a gender-based explanation in the sense that it wanted to see how gender dynamics, norms and gender-related grievances push Daesh women into the group’s ranks. This study hypothesized that women join ISIS because empowerment prospects are clear through the real-life experiences of ISIS women, not through the organization’s official discourse. After doing a literature review on women in rebel groups and terrorist women, the thesis realized women in violent and non-violent roles might have different motives. So, it hypothesized that Al-Khansaa Brigade members would demonstrate a drive for empowerment, but ISIS mothers/wives would not. Rather, they would highlight the importance of gender norms and roles (as women in anti-feminist movements do). The methodology of this thesis was a discourse analysis of ISIS women’s interviews and social media posts. It entailed searching for indicators of empowerment in their rhetoric. Testimonies of Iraqi and Syrian women who witnessed ISIS rule were also examined. The study concluded the gap between Daesh’s discourse, female members’ actions and their feelings of empowerment. It was also found that not all women in non-violent positions were impacted by an internalization of sexist ideas. Other factors not related to their gender identity pulled them to the group. Lastly, the thesis’s hypothesis that women in violent roles had endeavors for empowerment was confirmed (with some exclusions).

School

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department

Political Science Department

Degree Name

MA in Political Science

Graduation Date

Spring 6-15-2025

Submission Date

2-12-2025

First Advisor

Mostafa Hefny

Committee Member 1

Mirjam Edel

Committee Member 2

Sarah Smierciak

Extent

132p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Not necessary for this item

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