Encounters with ISIS-affiliated women: radicalisation process, motivations, and their journey

Abstract

Women from European countries have joined ISIS in considerable numbers, whether as perpetrators or passive attendants. Possible reasons for Western recruits have included seeking an identity, searching for excitement, and the romantic aspect of a new life. Despite the unknown numbers, many ISIS-affiliated from different nationalities are currently held in Turkish prisons. This article aims to contribute to women's radicalization and a gap in knowledge of ISIS women. Drawing on first-person 8 interviews at the Istanbul Repatriation Center in October 2020, the study indicates that the romantic aspect works as a catalyzer. The topic would be better elaborated by leaning on personal reasons. Key findings aim to demystify the assumptions of gendered radicalization. Further, discussions emerge from these findings, which have implications for methodology, theory, and policy and open prospects to generate avenues for future research.