When the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) first appeared in the media around 2014, what caught people’s attention was not their ideology or the fact they were the predecessors of Al Qaeda (the most prominent terrorist group in the world), but rather because of their proficient use of the internet to garner attention (through their beheading videos) and spread their ideology.
With the rise of ISIL came the recruitment of terrorists over internet and social media, something no one would have imagined when the internet was still in its earlier stages. Many studies shows that men and young boys, especially second generation immigrants who are economically struggling and racially discriminated against are more likely to join the group although some men do join regardless of the fact that they are neither any generation immigrant nor Muslim by birth. While thousands of these young boys and men are radicalized on the internet, a paper by Maeghin Alarid explains that women who either live in Europe or outside of the Middle East are also more likely to be radicalized and recruited by the group.
However, the question remains, why do young girls and women join groups like ISIL? Is it because they are struggling economically or they romanticize about war like any other young boys and men? Why would they leave the comforts of their home to join a terrorist group whose ideology promotes oppression of their gender?
Many sources online give reasons such as the way ISIL markets itself by telling women that they need to play their ‘part’ in the ‘Caliphate’ (Holy War) they are fighting, therefore exaggerating their roles. Some say female members of ISIL offer ‘friendship’ and ‘sisterhood’ online and some claim that they have been financially rewarded once they joined the group.
One of the bigger reasons compared to the economic well-being and the idolization of a different lifestyle is that women and young girls (like their male counterpart) join the group due to marginalization and racial/religious discrimination they face. Alarid mentions in his article “when these women are seen as the ‘other’ in the country they live and their religious ideology tells them they have a greater purpose and duty as a Muslim, these are prime conditions for recruitment.” They become vulnerable and easy targets for extremist to brainwashing and there is nothing to hold them back from traveling to the Middle East and joining the group.
Although, in economic terms it is hard to come up with a solution to stop these young girls and women from joining, when it comes to the core reason, the only way to stop it is to treat everyone equally regardless of their religion or their race; to stop creating a ‘us against them’ mindset and to throw away stereotypes and associations. The more we tighten our space, thinking we are making our environment safe, the more we drive innocent strangers away and corner them into making wrong decisions. To counter the process of recruitment by such terrorist groups, we have to use the same method as the group. We should offer real friendship and sisterhood without race, religion or creed and reassure them our greater purpose and duty is love, not war. This begins by INCLUSION. Art by: Chelsea Valentin Brown ( soirart.tumblr)
Header image source: http://www.cbc.ca/firsthand/m_features/how-to-recognize-radicalization-in-your-family-members
Sources:
http://cco.ndu.edu/Publications/Books/Impunity/Article/780274/chapter-13-recruitment-and-radicalization-the-role-of-social-media-and-new-tech/ https://sites.tufts.edu/reinventingpeace/2015/08/20/why-women-and-girls-join-isil/