This policy brief examines the diverse roles women have historically played within violent extremist Islamist movements, challenging the tendency to portray women solely as passive victims or marginal actors. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources, it explores women’s participation as supporters, facilitators, recruiters, propagandists, and, in some cases, combatants.
The analysis highlights how women’s involvement has been shaped by prevailing gender norms within extremist ideology and organisational practice, and how these roles have often been underestimated in terrorism research and policy responses. By situating women’s participation within a broader historical context, the paper demonstrates the limits of gender-blind threat assessments.
The paper concludes by arguing that a more nuanced understanding of women’s roles in violent extremist movements is essential for developing accurate and gender-sensitive analyses of violent extremism.