A surprising number of women have joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The Soufan Group estimated in 2014 that 18 per cent of European volunteers were women. There are no official numbers for women from Arab countries, but one can estimate a similar, if not higher percentage.
Islamic State propagandists have different approaches to women of different geographic and cultural backgrounds. Emphases vary between nods towards religious legitimacy – Islamic State as a revived caliphate – and emphasis on resistance, portraying the group as an heir to the revolutionary movements of eras past. In doing so, propagandists have created a communications strategy that crosses the boundaries of nation, ideology and class.
