Why Western Women Are Volunteering for the Islamic State

They are forbidden to leave their homes without a male escort, or they will be beaten.

Their eyes must never be seen. Without a double-veil, they will be lashed.

Shrouded in darkness, they’re forced to wear black.

Over 550 Western women have traveled to Iraq and Syria, burned their passports, and joined the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

While the ideology of ISIS is repugnant to most people, the desires of the women who join ISIS are universal.

They are in search of who they are and where they belong. ISIS draws them in with a warped Islamist brand of feminism.

Motivation

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think-tank based out of London that works to counter global extremism, published a study about female foreign volunteers explaining that the motivations for women to join ISIS are nearly identical to those of men.

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue listed “push” and “pull” factors that lead to the radicalization of Western women.

The factors that “pull” women to ISIS appear to answer the longings that “push” them toward radicalism.

Continue reading…

Source: Why Western Women Are Volunteering for the Islamic State