5. Women in Operation-Based Jihadi Organizations

Women are incorporated into operation-based jihadi organizations in different tactical capacities. Their roles in these groups are divided into two categories: combat and non-combat roles. In terms of combat roles, women have been used by several operation-based jihadi organizations as both suicide bombers and as cover for male fighters. Due to several religious and traditional restrictions, women have a greater chance of passing through male-dominated security checkpoints and penetrating target areas compared to their male counterparts. In terms of non-combat roles, women play a significant role in connecting different cells within the networks of jihadi organizations. Women are utilized by these groups to deliver messages, information, cash, explosives, and weapons among their different cells. Women’s style of dress and the reluctance of security forces to search them have made them ideal messengers for jihadi organizations. The same logic of women’s incorporation as tactical agents can be traced to other roles given to them, including financing, recruiting new members, and raising a new generation of jihadists. These positions are mostly extensions of women’s daily social and private lives.