01643nas a2200205   4500000000100000008004100001260001600042653000700058653001600065653001800081653001300099653001500112653001300127653001000140100002000150245010500170300001100275490000700286520114400293       2017                            d  cWinter 201710aAQ10ahouse wives10aIslamic State10amigrants10asex slaves10awarriors10awomen1 aAndrea Aasgaard00aMigrants, Housewives, Warriors or Sex Slaves: AQ’s and the Islamic State’s Perspectives on Women  a99-1110 v163 a<p>Why do young Muslim women from the whole world join the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq, despite the fact that the group is notorious for conducting terrible sexual violations against women? Through comparing how al-Qaeda (AQ) and IS are positioning women in their ideological literature, this article sheds light on IS’ appeal to women. This is interesting, as AQ in a historical perspective only attracted a handful of European women to physically join the group. The comparison highlights that AQ and IS position women in different ways: as housewives, migrants, warriors and sex slaves. Both groups’ ideologies agree that a woman’s primarily role is to be a housewife and mother, and exclude in principle women from the battlefield. However, only IS is emphasizing that Muslim women have a right and duty to migrate to its territory. Through using ideological arguments in its literature, IS convinces its supporters that it is a religious duty to enslave women the group defines as idolaters. For this reason, IS’ brutality against non-Muslim women will not discourage its female supporters from joining the group.</p>