Jihadi recruitment of women in Spain... A shocking analytical study
In
April 2017, under the title «The
jihadist recruitment of women in Spain between 2014 and 2016», the
Royal Spanish Institute «Elkano» published analytical study by Carola
Garcia Calvo, a researcher in the Department of Global Terrorism in the
institute.
Calvo
answered in her study - in an analytical way - many of the questions related to
the Spanish women who were recruited by Daesh organization.
The
Royal Elkano Institute is one of the most prestigious and leading think tanks
in Spain. It is founded in 2001 under the auspices of the former King of Spain,
Juan Carlos I. The Institute pays particular attention to issues related to
terrorism and militant groups.
The
study was based on the Spanish women who were recruited to join
"Daesh". How was their recruitment? What are their motivations to
join such terrorist organizations?
The
study relied on accurate information provided by the Spanish authorities to the
researcher, about a group of 23 women, were arrested as part of the security
campaigns launched by the Spanish authorities against individuals and groups on
charges of joining the Daesh.
Carola
Garcia Calvo attended their own trial sessions and conducted detailed
interviews with the investigators who interrogated the accused women.
In
her study, the researcher described how jihadist groups began to target women
in Spain, as part of the recruitment campaign linked to the conflict in Iraq
and Syria.
The
spread and promotion of extremist ideology was also generated by people born in
Spain, not immigrants from the Middle East, as was the case in the 1970s.
Despite
the different patterns of militancy pursued by these women, they share the same
goals with their fellow male militants, primarily the pursuit of the alleged
Islamic caliphate.
The
study stressed that when analysts and researchers meet to discuss terrorism,
they must study in depth the developments that have taken place in terrorist
recruitment operations and how the terrorist organizations attract young
sympathizers.
By
the summer of 2014, the world known
"Daesh" after announcing the establishment of the so-called
"Islamic Caliphate State in Iraq and Syria".
This
was the most dramatic turning point in the evolution of the global jihad
movement, which was characterized by competition for influence between
"Daesh" and "Al-Qaeda" organizations.
In
the first speech of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of «Daesh», from the city
of «Mosul» in Iraqi, called for «migration to the Caliphate».
Daesh
achieved military gains on the ground, prompting thousands of young men and
women around the world to travel and live in areas controlled by the
organization.
No
terrorist movement, before Daesh, has succeeded in attracting so many young
people, especially from Western European countries.
The
number of those who joined terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq, of European
origins, is estimated at more than 5,000.
In
Spain, there are an estimated 208 people who have traveled since 2013 (10% of
them women) and 23 women who have been detained by the Spanish authorities for
their involvement in activities associated with "Daesh".
In
September 2016, French authorities arrested three militant women in Paris, who
later said they were plotting acts of violence.
The
rise of the female role:
Although
it is difficult to create a profile for each woman individually, a question
arose about the future role of them in Spain, especially after the terrorist
organization lost most of the areas it controls. This can be done in the
context of the future of the rise of the women's role in these organizations,
whether through the participation of women in the planning of terrorist operations
or the advent of terrorist operations themselves.
As
the global jihad movement continues to evolve, there is an urgent need for
gender in analyzing the movements of terrorist organizations.
Girls
without family responsibility:
The
first feature observed by the researcher in her study is the age gap between
males and females. In various security campaigns between 2014 and 2016, the
average age of men arrested was 30 years, and the average age of women was 24
years; 73.3 per cent were between 19 and 28 years of age. The proportion of
those arrested between the ages of 19 and 23 was 47 per cent, the girls are 14
years old, while the oldest is 52 years old.
The
social status of the detainees was a major factor, with 45% of them unmarried,
16.6% of the men arrested. 55% of the men had children, while the majority of
women did not have children (65%).
Recruitment
strategy:
The
recruiting strategy adopted by Spain's Daesh organization is to recruit girls
and women without family responsibilities. Daesh also investigates women who
can be married to members of the organization and have children to live in
areas controlled by the organization.
The
thing that ensures a constant population presence in these areas. As well as,
providing human resources for the organization of a new generation of
terrorists, who have been raised in areas controlled by the organization since
their birth.
Spanish
accounted for 60.9 per cent, more than half of whom were born in Spanish areas,
56.5 per cent, 34.8 per cent Moroccan, 13 per cent without cultural or social
backgrounds related to Islam or militant groups, and women at one point change
their faith and belief.
Women
arrested were better educated than men, with 87.5 per cent of women completing
secondary school, compared to 25.7 per cent of men. Women who went to
universities were 6.3 per cent more than men.
The
proportion of unemployed women was 33.3 per cent, higher than the 10 per cent
unemployed, and there was no previous criminal record of all the women
arrested.
Recruiting
through internet:
The
women who were arrested and went to the courts for their participation in
activities related to the organization «Daesh» between 2014 and 2016.
Eight
out of every 10 women were drifting into radical ideology through direct
contact and interviews with individuals.
While
55.6 per cent are more radicalized by entering the media platforms of the
terrorist organization on social networking sites.
The
Internet enabled women to access jihadist propaganda. Social networking was the
main platform with 93.3 per cent and mobile messaging applications at 80 per
cent.
One
of the factors influencing this process is those with "charisma".
Some 66.7% of women said they were fascinated by personalities who communicated
with them through various social networking sites.
There
is a case of a woman who said she was influenced by the character of a fighter
in the organization of "Daesh", which he and his sister were trying
to attract her to the organization. At an advanced stage, this woman was in a
relationship with another fighter, eventually ending up being the fiance of a
military commander of a battalion of these terrorists.
Jihadi
recruitment .. Motivation, temptations and negation of will:
The
study focused on the motivations and temptations that led women to join the
organization. The emotional motivation with the religious influence was the
biggest incentive.
The
percentage of women mentioned was 61.5 per cent, and the incentives promised
was to get married to a fighter of the organization.