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Why Women from the West are Joining ISIS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2018

Anita Perešin*
Affiliation:
Office of the National Security Council, Croatia
*
*Corresponding Author: Anita Perešin, Office of the National Security Council, Croatia. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

More than 550 Western women have moved to Syria and Iraq to join the “Islamic State of Iraq and Syria” (ISIS), showing a success of ISIS in attracting women from the West that no other jihadist group had before. To explain the reasons for such success, it is important to understand how ISIS lures women from the West, why ISIS persuasion tools are so successful, what motivates women to join such a notorious terrorist group, famous for its brutal violence, mistreatment and enslavement of women and what role women expected to play in the “Islamic State.” Understanding the motives why ISIS Western female migrants left their Western countries of residence and moved to ISIS-controlled territories is crucial to find appropriate measures to prevent and stop the radicalization of women, to cut the support that ISIS receives from its female sympathizers, to properly treat female returnees and to prepare appropriate measures against women ready to plot against their countries of residence in the name of ISIS goals.

Abstracto

Más de 550 mujeres occidentales se mudaron a Siria e Irak para unirse al ISIS, mostrando el éxito del ISIS al atraer a mujeres de Occidente que ningún otro grupo jihadista había alcanzado antes. Para explicar las razones de su éxito, es importante entender cómo ISIS atrae a las mujeres de Occidente, por qué las herramientas de persuasión ISIS tienen tanto éxito, lo que motiva a las mujeres a unirse a un notorio grupo terrorista, famoso por su brutal violencia, el maltrato y la esclavitud de las mujeres y cual es el papel que las mujeres esperaban desempeñar en el "Estado islámico". La comprensión de los motivos por los cuales mujeres migrantes occidentales dejaron sus países occidentales de residencia y se trasladaron a territorios controlados por ISIS es crucial para encontrar las medidas adecuadas para prevenir y detener la radicalización de las mujeres, para cortar el soporte que ISIS recibe de sus simpatizantes femeninas, para tratar adecuadamente mujeres repatriadas y para preparar medidas apropiadas contra las mujeres listas para conspirar contra sus países de residencia en nombre de los objetivos del ISIS.

Abstrait

Plus de 550 femmes occidentales se sont installées en Syrie et en Irak pour rejoindre l'Etat islamique, un grand succès de l'EIIS attirant plus des femmes occidentales qu'aucun autre groupe djihadiste n'avait jamais atteint auparavant. Pour expliquer les raisons d'un tel succès, il est important de comprendre comment l'EIIS attire les femmes de l'Ouest, pourquoi les outils de persuasion de l'EIIS ont autant de succès, ce qui motive les femmes à rejoindre un groupe terroriste notoire, et le rôle que ces femmes pensent pouvoir jouer dans «l'État islamique». Comprendre les raisons pour lesquelles les migrantes occidentales ont quitté leur pays de résidence et se sont installées dans des territoires contrôlés par l'Etat islamique est essentiel pour trouver des mesures appropriées pour prévenir et arrêter la radicalisation des femmes, réduire le soutien que ISIS reçoit de ses sympathisantes, traiter correctement les femmes rapatriées et préparer des mesures appropriées contre les femmes prêtes à comploter contre leur pays de résidence au nom des objectifs de l'Etat islamique.

摘要:

超过550名西方女人已经前往叙利亚和伊拉克加入伊斯兰国,显示了伊斯兰国在吸引西方女性方面取得了成功,在此之前没有其他圣战组织实现过该目标。为了解释这种成功的原因,需要重点理解的是:伊斯兰国是如何吸引西方女性,为何伊斯兰国的说服手段如此成功,又是什么促使女性加入这样一个以残酷的暴力、虐待和奴役妇女而臭名昭著的恐怖主义组织,以及女性在伊斯兰国中扮演的角色等。了解伊斯兰国中的移民女性离开其西方国家并转移到伊斯兰国控制地区的动机是至关重要的,这有助于寻找适当的措施来防止和阻止女性激进化,削减伊斯兰国获得女性同情者的支持,恰当的对待女性回返者,并且有利于准备适当的措施应对那些意欲以伊斯兰国名义密谋反对其居住国的女人。

االملخّص

انتقلت أكثر من 550 امرأة غربيّة إلى سوريا والعراق للانضمام إلى داعش، مما يظهر نجاح داعش في جذب نساء من الغرب لم تصله أي جماعة جهاديّة أخرى من قبل. لتوضيح أسباب هذا النجاح، من المهم أن نفهم كيف أن داعش تغري النساء من الغرب، ولماذا تنجح أدوات داعش في الإقناع، والسبب الذي يحفّز النساء على الانضمام إلى هذه المجموعة الإرهابيّة السيّئة السمعة، الذّائعة الصّيت في أعمالها الوحشيّة، وسوء معاملة النساء واستعبادهن؛ والدّور الذي من المتوقّع أن تلعبه النساء في "الدّولة الإسلاميّة". يُعْتَبَرُ فهم الأسباب الّتي دفعت بمهاجرات داعش الغربيّات إلى مغادرة مكان إقامتهن في الغرب وانتقالهنّ إلى مناطق تسيطر عليها داعش أمرًا مصيريًّا لإيجاد تدابير مناسبة لمنع تطرف النساء ووضع حدٍّ له، ولتقليل الدعم الذي يتلقاّه داعش من المتعاطفات معه من النّساء، والتعامل مع العائدات منهن بالطرق الملائمة، وإﻋﺪاد ﺘﺪاﺑﻴﺮ ملائمة ﺿﺪ المرأة الّني ﻋﻠﻰ أهبة اﻻﺳﺘﻌﺪاد للتآمر على بلد إقامتها ﺑﺎﺳﻢ أهداف هذا التّنظيم.

Type
Article
Copyright
© 2018 International Society of Criminology 

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