Woman as victim and terrorist: A reflection on the reasons for joining European women to ISIS

Subject Areas : Terorism

Yousof  Qorashi ¹ (political sciences, Shiraz university)
Fatemeh  Ahmadnejad ² (MA Shiraz University)

Received: 2018-07-23 Accepted : 2018-07-31 Published : 2018-06-22

Keywords: terrorism, Women, ISIS, Robert Agnew, General Strain Theory,

Abstract :

Why European women join ISIS? This question at the beginning of ISIS emergence in the Middle East was a concern for many Muslim communities and their families, and answering to this question gradually became evident by declaring the formation of the Islamic caliphate and joining more Muslim women to it. In this regard, a handful of research institutes published reports linking ISIS and women, but scientifically, feasible literature did not produce. This made it necessary for initiating an article on the purpose of examining the reasons for joining European women to ISIS. The hypothesis of the article is that women consider herself as victims and joining ISIS based on reasons such as isolation and the lack of sense of belonging to Western culture, oppression and injustice towards the Muslim nation, reaction to the indifference of the international community, and ultimately the establishment of Islamic Utopia. These cases are being examined in the light of Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory of terrorism. It is presumed that the phenomenon of ISIS is simultaneously considered as a terrorist organization and a government to rely on it to explain the roles of ISIS women. These roles represent the alternatives for women to escape the strains imposed.