Article 2b: ISIS and the allure of traditional gender roles (Speckhard & Ellenberg, 2023)

Question 1

3 ways in which ISIS gains his followers:

Answer 1

1. By using gender roles to promote a strict, traditional gender hierarchy, appealing to individuals who seek clear, defined gender roles as a sense of purpose.
2. Targeting individuals with certain vulnerabilities, like the. need for belonging.
3. Promising a structured, purposeful life.

Question 2

The motivation of strict gender roles

Answer 2

Some women who joined ISIS were discriminated against at home because of their choice to adhere to strict gender roles and conservative islamic clothing. In ISIS, they believed they would be celebrated and honoured as wives and mothers, under no pressure to work outside the home, interact with strange men, or dress in a way that made them uncomfortable.

Question 3

Reasons why men join ISIS

Answer 3

• Sense of purpose
• Adventure and excitement
• Economic incentives (stability, supporting your family)
• Ideology
• Seeking one’s own masculine identity
• Feeling disaffected, marginalised and alienated in society

Question 4

Reasons why women join ISIS

Answer 4

• Traditional gender roles
• Romantic relationships (promise of marriage)
• Sense of belonging
• Escape from oppression

Question 5

The process of joining ISIS

Answer 5

1. Often being a second-generation islamic person >
2. Having conflicting ideas between own upbringing and current countries values >
3. Feeling discriminated, demasculinised, alienated by society >
4. No sense of belonging >
5. ISIS promising that belonging to war heroes, promising a family, clearly defined gender roles >
6. Joining ISIS

Question 6

Preventative radicalisation strategies

Answer 6

• Community engagement
• Education and awareness
• Mental health support
• Counter-narratives
• Rehabilitation and reintegration
• Policy and legislation