The “Islamic State in Iraq and Syria” (ISIS) is the main source of instability, not only
in Iraq and Syria, but also throughout the Middle East. The instability poses a danger for
the other parts of the world because of the influx of foreign fighters to the region.
Extremists have taken advantage of the continuing conflicts in Iraq and Syria, with Syria in
particular serving as a magnet for thousands of foreign fighters from more than 90
countries. While most of these ISIS combatants are men, many women have left their countries
behind to join the “caliphate” and support its cause. Social media have played a key role in
luring women to join ISIS. This study therefore analyzed the ISIS organization’s social
media propaganda and grass-roots recruitment activities aimed at women in Turkey. The
results of the analysis provide important information about the strategies that ISIS uses to
spread its ideology.