Marry at 9, stay hidden and obey God’s will: The IS message to women

Women should “remain hidden and veiled”, only leaving their homes in exceptional circumstances, according to an Islamic State manifesto intended as a recruitment tool. The document includes a curriculum for teaching young girls how to be homemakers and mothers who are “sedentary, still and stable” - and condemns the notion of gender equality. It also criticises the West’s obsession with studying “the brain cells of crowd, grains of sand and fish arteries”, and suggests such educational pursuits are a distraction from worshipping God, which is “the only reason for their existence”. Circulated widely on jihadist forums, the text was apparently released in an attempt to recruit women living in Saudi Arabia.

Woman was created to populate the Earth just as man was. But, as God wanted it to be, she was made from Adam and for Adam. Beyond this, her creator ruled there was no responsibility greater for her than that of being a wife to her husband.

Islamic State recruitment message

The fashion industry and beauty salons are deemed as the work of Satan. A plan for “the ideal education of our girls” is also included, which takes place when they are between seven and 15 years old. Religious studies, knitting, cooking and Sharia law feature prominently in the curriculum. In another section, IS authors state: “Women gain nothing from the idea of their equality with men apart from thorns.” The Quilliam Foundation, which translated the document from Arabic, has labelled it as “fundamentally misogynist”.

Middle East female jihadis