Although women are deemed to be inferiors in Islamic law, and are victims of honor violence, female genital mutilation, wife beatings, forced marriage, instant divorce, etc., it should not be forgotten that women have also served as jihad suicide bombers, and are quite active in Muslim Brotherhood circles as well. It must also be remembered that children are routinely indoctrinated by jihadist organizations such as Boko Haram, as well as in jihad training camps in the Palestinian territories. Given such, it should come as no surprise that:

The number of foreign women and minors who travelled to Syria and Iraq to join Islamic State has been significantly underestimated and could pose a particular security threat, experts have warned.

Researcher Dr Joana Cook, from the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King’s College London, warned that:

some women may now pose a particular security threat based on several factors. These include the physical security roles and related training that some women have undertaken in IS-held territory, and the potential to transfer or apply these skills in other locations, or to their children.

“Number of women and children who joined Isis ‘significantly underestimated,’” by Nadia Khomami, Guardian, July 23, 2018: