They are only needed for “marital jihad” and are considered spoils of war, like a commodity.
Author: Dr. Mawlawi Burhanuddin Muhammadi
In societies where religious extremism prevails, women are often the first victims. Terrorist groups like the Taliban and ISIS are prime examples of this reality. In both organizations, instead of recognizing women as independent individuals with human rights and freedoms, they have become tools for implementing ideology, procreation, and reinforcing the patriarchal structure. While there may be differences in some practices between the two groups, there is no difference in their repressive and misogynistic nature.
Women are beings imprisoned by ideology
Both the Taliban and ISIS view women as beings under the control of men, with no right to make decisions or actively participate in society. In both structures, women are not considered independent individuals but are subordinate to men, fathers, husbands, or brothers. Any participation by women in the social, economic, and cultural spheres is considered illegitimate and a threat to the Islamic caliphate and emirate they aspire to.
The Place of Women in the ISIS Structure
In ISIS ideology, women serve two main functions: first, as mothers and jihadi wives, and second, as invisible soldiers in the arena of “marital jihad” (jihadunnikah) and propaganda. Women in ISIS-controlled areas are deprived of the most basic human rights, such as freedom of movement, education, and work, and in most cases are sexually exploited as spoils of war. By seriously distorting religious texts, ISIS has legitimized sexual slavery and effectively turned women into weapons of war.
At the same time, some women are also used as ISIS propagandists to incite other women to join the Islamic Caliphate via cyberspace. This instrumental use of women is done to reproduce forces and spread ISIS ideology.
Women in the clutches of the Taliban
While the Taliban, unlike ISIS, avoids systematizing marriage jihad, they are not fundamentally different from ISIS in terms of their philosophy of power over women. During the first and second Taliban regimes, women were virtually excluded from education and employment. Girls' schools were closed, and many women were denied the right to work in government institutions and even in humanitarian organizations. They consider women to be nothing more than sex slaves and instruments of personal violence. In recent times, there have been countless Taliban who have entered into marriage for the umpteenth time to satisfy their sexual desires.
The Taliban impose compulsory hijab, prohibit movement without a mahram, and exclude women from the public sphere, considering them the pillars of their Islamic system. In this system, women should stay home, raise children, and obey men.
Fundamental Similarities
A comparative study shows that the Taliban and ISIS are united in their suppression, imprisonment, and humiliation of women. Both groups are the same.
Women are denied human rights such as education, work, and participation in public life.
They have imposed compulsory chador, control over movement, and total dependence of men on women.
They have limited the role of women to housekeeping, childbearing, and raising the next generation.
The differences are mainly in the form of implementation: ISIS actively recruits women to the battlefield and engages in propaganda, while the Taliban tries to exclude women from any public activities and even from the media.
The Taliban and ISIS are two sides of the same coin. Coins whose value is measured by denying women their humanity. An ideology that demands that women be submissive, obedient, and silent not only suppresses women's rights but also calls into question the future of the societies they dominate. The exclusion of women from the social sphere is not only catastrophic from a human perspective, but also destructive and destructive from a developmental and social justice perspective.
Ultimately, a shared understanding of this repression is an important step toward recognizing the true nature of extremist movements and the need for an intellectual, cultural, and political struggle against ISIS and the Taliban.
