Women and Terrorism: A Review of the Roles of Females in Homegrown Violent Extremism

Summary: Women have often played significant, yet often overlooked, roles in terrorism throughout the modern age of political violence. As such, both ISIS and al-Qa’ida continue to produce and disseminate propaganda targeting women in spite of the groups’ respective losses. There is a push to appeal to Arabic-speaking women in order to stay relevant and further their operations. Tune in as our analysts discuss the recent arrests of female sympathizers in the United States. They also explore how female homegrown violent extremists and these terrorist groups continue encouraging supporters to conduct attacks on the groups’ behalf, provide guidance on behavior, fundraise for overseas operations, and issue threatening rhetoric online.