The phenomenon of female migration to ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) is in fact an
undervalued form of revolution for Muslim women. It is, however, a bitter form of striving
for women’s emancipation. By transmitting extremist thoughts in the education of children
and on the Internet, women empower their position in a patriarchal environment. The women of
ISIS use their traditional role of motherhood to participate in the global jihad. By staying
in her own tradition, the mother is the first one to create would-be fighters. Hence, the
martyr becomes the mother’s creation. They use the mass weapon of education in a reactionary
way to demand their place between the men. The process of jihadism amongst women is
multidimensional. Herein lies the girl power that can be considered as a manifest aspect.
Women recruit potential supporters of ISIS, translate documents, write poems and give
Islamic lectures on the Internet. The phenomenon of female migration to IS can also be seen
as a romantic urge to return to the golden era of the Moorish caliphate and even to the
beginning of Islam in the 7th century. The women of ISIS make efforts to emancipate,
however, by making a U-turn.