WUNRN
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/islamic-state-steps-up-recruitment-of-women-and-girls/
Full Article – March 24, 2015 – By Adam Credo
Islamic State Steps Up Recruitment of Women & Girls
_________________________________________________________
http://www.hscentre.org/policy-unit/recruitment-isis-longer-mans-game-2/
RECRUITMENT TO ISIS – WOMEN & GIRLS
March 23, 2015 - By Emily
Daglish – Research Assistant
February
saw three British girls aged 15 and 16 make the journey from London to Syria –
their decision to leave behind families and a Western lifestyle to live in ISIS
controlled territory sparked considerable media attention and debate. The
reality, however, is that they are just the latest in a stream of women and
girls who have not only been radicalised, but have followed through with the
journey. Providing an exact number of Western women and girls who have
travelled to join ISIS is difficult; however, it is estimated that
approximately 10% of foreign recruits who have travelled to join the group have
been women or girls.[1]The lack of attention given to this increasing trend
is striking – as is the reactive nature of policy responses.
ISIS’s
takeover of territory in Syria and Iraq last year was a male driven act, with
females expressly forbidden from the qitaal (fighting).
However, the desire to form a caliphate comes with practicalities, notably the
need for ‘support’ functions, such as increasing the population and
establishing communities and home lives that can keep particularly foreign
fighters engaged in the region. This reality has led to a considerable
recruitment push aimed at women and girls in the past months. Despite some
similarities, the method is heavily centred around technology and different
from the strategies aimed at Western men.
This
brief will look into the reasons behind radicalisation and recruitment of
Western women, in particular those who make the journey to ISIS controlled
territory, and analyse the gendered recruitment methods used. Prevention
obstacles are looked into alongside current and possible counter narratives,
followed by an examination of the possible undervalued threat we face from
radicalised women.
Fast-tracked
female incitement
The
summer of 2014 saw ISIS overrun swathes of territory in Iraq whilst
consolidating and expanding their hold over large areas of Syria, still in the
turmoil of civil war. During these initial months, women and girls were
actively discouraged from joining the fighting, and instead told to raise funds
and encourage their menfolk to join ISIS’s ranks.[2] While this element continues, the targeting
has changed as the reality of rule has set in.
An
urgent need for state functions set in around September 2014 due to the
expansion and subsequent community building needed. Western women and girls are
promised ‘devout, jihadist husbands, a home in a true Islamic state and the
opportunity to devote their lives to their religion and their god.’[3] This lure, coupled with the desire to become a
‘founding mother’ to a new nation,[4] has helped establish a narrative of duty. It
is well documented that any large army of men, which we must recognise that
ISIS has become, requires morale building and continuous incentives. Women play
a critical role in this and have done for centuries. The community building
skills that women bring, alongside the obvious reproductive capabilities,
provide a sense of belonging and responsibility to fighters without which they
could be tempted to return to their home nations where their families and
friends still reside.
ISIS’s
desire to consolidate and expand their self-proclaimed caliphate requires
propaganda. Their desire to attract Western women to join them in Syria and
Iraq demonstrates not only their need to establish a society, but to expand
their influence to the Western world. Women’s community nature has proven not
only a useful tool[5] in encouraging others to travel to Syria or
Iraq, but for encouraging those who cannot travel to commit ‘home soil’
attacks.[6] A particularly noteworthy propaganda element
is social media and Western women who have travelled to join ISIS are often
well versed in social media, providing an additional source of further
recruitment.
Social
media: the vehicle for female recruitment
ISIS
runs a sophisticated social media machine aimed at promoting its ideals,
facilitating recruitment and eliciting fear. Whereas recruitment for male
fighters to ISIS focuses on martyrdom, the narrative for recruitment of women
and girls is very different. Online female adherents to ISIS’s beliefs have
increased substantially in the last few months[7] as they promote the importance of women in
establishing the desired state. New online forums and publications target women
and girls in the West with a positive image of this new life.[8] There are numerous elements to this which have
proven successful in recruiting vulnerable young women in particular to make
the dangerous journey. Many of those involved are Western women who have
married ISIS fighters.
The
ideological aspect of these messages is critical and appeals to the disillusioned.
The notion of an ‘ideologically pure state’, living honourably alongside one’s
sisters whilst being closer to god[9] appeals to women and girls who are seeking
adventure and see the act as heroic.[10] Often therefore, it is not necessarily those
who are fanatically religious who make the journey to join ISIS, but instead
those wishing to make the transition from childhood to adulthood and who feel
that Western lives and relationships are in fact very superficial.[11] Part of this is the ‘romance’ narrative[12] put forward by ISIS propaganda, brandishing a
romanticised version of a very repressive reality. With Western governments
pushing a negative propaganda campaign against ISIS, contrasting with this
positive image put forward by female supporters, those who feel out of place in
a Western society can easily be drawn in to the narrative.[13]
The flip
side of this ideological narrative is the guilt these women attempt to impose
on those unwilling or unable to travel, arguing that the obstacles claimed to
be preventing some from making the journey are merely excuses. Often this then
turns to promoting home-soil attacks. The ease of access to images of
casualties from Western attacks gives recruiters ammunition. It plays on the
empathy, injustice and political alienation that many women and girls feel
about Western policy, both domestic and foreign.[14] This further encourages revenge either
through travelling to join them or violence closer to home.
The
English language, chatty and modern style of tweets, blogs and Instagram
pictures that are uploaded by ISIS women, notably those of Western origin, act
as a valuable propaganda tool to encourage more young women to travel. The fact
that most UK women who are known to have travelled to Syria are below the age
of 24[15] demonstrates the value and influence of such
techniques, the familiarity of which chimes with their current social lives.
This use of ‘soft’ power gives the impression of a sociable atmosphere, not
devoid of modern technology or companionship. By portraying their experiences
in a positive light,[16] these women often gloss over the restrictions
imposed on them and infer they are experiencing an exciting and fun adventure.
Whilst a
large part of the social media success has centred around this community
aspect, ISIS women have also used the platforms to show and explain the reality
of life in the territory. Whilst it could be argued that the hardships
demonstrated, such as sporadic electricity and internet access, put some off
making the journey, it also acts as an insurance against false hope and
fleeting stays. Alongside this, it also gives support to their religious and
ideological claims about a ‘pure’ state and sacrifice.
A more
practical element to women’s social media recruitment is the instructions and
advises they provide potential recruits.[17] Often, initial contacts are made through
social media. ISIS women of Western origin tend to have large numbers of
twitter followers. Umm Layth, who has more than 2,000 Twitter followers,[18] is one of the group’s most active recruiters
on social media. Prospective female recruits and travellers are then advised to
switch from traceable platforms to the so called ‘dark web’, where ISIS women
provide advice on the safest travel routes, what to bring and who to contact
without the level of oversight afforded to open platforms. Given the
treacherous route needed to get to Syria (this is the main choice rather than
Iraq, given the easier access through Turkey), this provides advice and
contacts without which, a large number would not make it to ISIS territory. By
forming communities and friendships prior to travel, ISIS has ensured a
smoother passage for their recruits as a safety measure for their state support
roles.
The
final and perhaps most concerning aspect of this social media vehicle is the
support they show for ISIS’s most brutal atrocities. One comment described the
murder of an American aid worker and 18 Syrian hostages as “gut wrenchingly
awesome.”[19] Beyond the clear humanitarian concerns about
desensitisation to violence, such support has also been manifested in a desire
to perform such acts themselves.[20]
An
undervalued threat?
There
are three elements to consider when discussing the threat women who have travelled
to join ISIS pose. The first is the immediate threat posed by those who have
already made the journey and are unlikely to leave; the second concerns those
who have made the journey and then later return to their home country; and the
third is those women and girls who were unable to make the journey but still
want to contribute to the ISIS cause.
Despite
the clear statement on the role of women in the caliphate in ISIS’s recent
manifesto, including that women have no role in the fighting[21], there is clearly a desire of many to take a more
active role.[22]This should be seen as a warning of a possible
future trend. Past conflict experiences must be learned from, for example that
of the Chechnyan ‘black widows,’ who enacted a devastating suicide bombing
campaign in part to avenge the deaths of their husbands, brothers and fathers.[23] For ISIS widows, it seems as if they are
waiting and willing for the moment when they are allowed to fight. Those battling
ISIS must be prepared for a potential change in strategy should ISIS’s male
recruitment slow or their casualties begin to outweigh new male recruits.
Turning
to those who have made the journey to ISIS territory and then for some reason
chosen to return to their home country. Western governments cannot and should
not underestimate the impact experiencing a warzone and being surrounded by
radical religion can have on willingness to commit ‘home-soil’ atrocities. As
noted previously, desensitisation to violence is one factor, coupled with
indoctrination that espouses the death of Western ‘non-believers.’ Combined,
they present both a threat and an opportunity for counter-narrative and
intervention.
Lastly
are those women and girls who are unable to travel to Syria or Iraq. Often
these women are the target of further indoctrination and attention by female
ISIS recruiters, who encourage them to commit ‘home-soil’ atrocities and often
accuse them of using obstacles as ‘excuses.’ These women and girls present a
different threat to those previously described as they do not need to travel to
commit an attack, need limited preparation time and are often more difficult to
trace.
Current
policy and missing links
Until
very recently the predominant focus has been on the counter-narrative needed
for young men. However, it is severely lacking direction or nuance towards
vulnerable women and girls.
The
profile of those who travel or attempt to travel is by now reasonably well
documented. Often well-educated and living comfortably, there have also been
trends noted of isolation and depression[24] that have appeared to make them vulnerable to
ISIS’s social media machinery. However, this profiling has not been put to
sufficient use, particularly in terms of community cooperation. Authorities,
communities and families must work more closely together to understand, notice
and highlight women and girls who are most vulnerable. A better and more
trusting system must allow moves towards linking rather than working in
parallel, a strategy that has proven unfruitful because of the lack of trust
between all those involved.
A
stronger counter-narrative directed at women is desperately needed. Given the
importance of social media to ISIS’s female recruitment, the counter narrative
must also utilise such platforms to the fullest. Empathy has been shown to be a
key driver in female desire to travel to ISIS territory and the reality of
ISIS’s severe repression of women, their brutality and the reality of life on
the ground could provide starting points for such work. The timings and
audience that these counter-narratives should target is furthermore crucial.
Whilst there is a need for consistent countering, more targeted intervention is
crucial and under-utilised at moments in these women’s lives when they may have
become disillusioned with the reality of life under ISIS, or worried about
potential travel to the region.[25]
The role
of the internet and social media in particular for female recruitment to ISIS
from the West has been heavily emphasised. The counter-narrative described
above must use this platform if it is to reach those most vulnerable. There is
a role for restrictions and of course monitoring, however the prominence and
ease of the so-called ‘dark web’ has been underplayed and more research must be
done on how counter-narratives can reach these audiences.
On the
international level, closer cooperation between security bodies is vital.
Turkish authorities complained (although this has been disputed) that it took
British security forces three days to notify them of the British girls’ journey
to Turkey,[26] which allegedly led to their journey into
Syria only a few days later. Blame games aside – it is crucial that border
agencies are better trained in detecting female ISIS recruits. This could take
the form of tighter security checks internationally, alongside better cultural
understanding regarding female travel, particularly those of Asian background
where young girls are unlikely to have been allowed to travel without their
families or male companions.
This mix
of security, international and community measures is well versed when it comes
to male recruitment to ISIS. However, its relation to women and girls has been
particularly undervalued. Western governments in particular must wake up to the
reality that radicalised Western women and girls are neither less likely to
join ISIS, and nor do they pose a lesser threat because of their gender.[27]
[1] New
York Times, October 2014 [Link]
[2] TIME,
September 2014 [Link]
[3] Ibid.
[4] News.com.au,
January 2014 [Link]
[5] TIME,
September 2014 [Link]
[6] News.com.au,
January 2014 [Link]
[7] TIME,
September 2014 [Link]
[8] New
York Times, October 2014 [Link]
[9] Institute
for Strategic Dialogue, January 2015 [Link]
[10] News.com.au,
January 2014 [Link]
[11] Institute
for Strategic Dialogue, January 2015 [Link]
[13] New
York Times, October 2014 [Link]
[14] Ibid.
[15] The
Independent, September 2014 [Link]
[16] ABC
News, February 2015 [Link]
[17] ABC
News, February 2015 [Link]
[18] The
Daily Beast, August 2014 [Link]
[19] MSN
News, February 2015 [Link]
[20] Institute
for Strategic Dialogue, January 2015 [Link]
[21] TIME,
February 2015 [Link]
[22] Institute
for Strategic Dialogue, January 2015 [Link]
[23] IB
Times, January 2015 [Link]
[24] The
Guardian, September 2014 [Link]
[25] Institute
for Strategic Dialogue, January 2015 [Link]
[26] Reuters
UK, February 2015 [Link]
[27] The
Guardian, September 2014 [Link]