Investigating the Political Attitude of Salafi Jihadi Groups Towards the Role of Women in Jihad

Salafi-jihadi groups are among the extreme Islamist currents that adhere to a specific interpretation of Islam. Considering the increasing importance of gender violence in jihadist Salafi groups that claim to be Islamic, understanding the operational and symbolic role of women is very important to deal with the threat of these groups at the global level. Women are not only disproportionately victimized in modern conflicts, but also play an important role in the tactical operations of Salafi-jihadi groups. Salafi-jihadi groups' attitudes towards the role of women have evolved from support activities in the front lines to active participation on the battlefield. This evolution has reached from preparing weapons, providing food for fighters, nursing the wounded and spreading the jihadi ideology to recruiting new members, to the real participation of women in jihadi operations on the battlefield or carrying out suicide bombing operations. These developments are in conflict with the ideological principles of these groups; Therefore, we are faced with this main question: what is the attitude of jihadist Salafi groups towards the role of women in jihad? The findings of the research show that the attitude of these groups towards the role of women is changing from a traditional role to an active and radical role. This change in some cases depends on different conditions and strategies. The author is trying to analyze the details of the change in the role of women in jihadist Salafi groups and also the contradictions in this field with descriptive-analytical method.