ABSTRACT
In this chapter, Anita Perešin accounts for the gender-specific dimensions of IS’s online media strategy, in terms of how the terror organisation has reached, incited, and used women for its propaganda activities. According to Perešin, what sets the group apart from other similar terror organisations is their ability to attract men and women to ideas of empowerment, excitement, and meaning – but in gender-specific ways. The narratives presented have been constructed and tailored to attract women from different geographic areas and with different backgrounds. Initially, women were primarily framed and valued in terms of their ability to reproduce and indoctrinate the next generation of jihadists, urging female supporters to shoulder their traditional gender roles. However, as the situation on the ground began to change, so did the framing of the role of women, calling upon them to embrace a more active role. After the fall of the Caliphate, female supporters have further played an important role in the “virtual Caliphate”. According to Perešin, it appears as if women are playing an increasingly important role in shaping and propagating IS’s cause, which yet again highlights the need to recognise the gender perspective in relation to IS propaganda.
