Female jihadis guide to life under Islamic State

The document, published on a jihadist forum by an all-female IS group, was translated into English by the British-based counter-extremism thinktank the quilliam foundation.

The guide attacks western civilisation, mocking education and feminism. It claims that the western model for women has failed and is full of “corrupted ideas and shoddy-minded beliefs instead of religion”.

‘Marriage at nine’

It is “legitimate for a girl to be married at the age of nine”, according to the document

“Most pure girls will be married by sixteen or seventeen, while they are still young and active”, it says.

Women are allowed to leave the house only in exceptional circumstances, reads the treatise, which criticises some women who “do not consider staying in the home Heaven”.

Three examples are listed as acceptable reasons for leaving home. One is for Jihad, if “the men are not enough to protect” the country. Another is for “studying the sciences of religion”. The final reason is if the women are female doctors or teachers.

Women who do leave the home must always remain hidden and veiled.

Picture: All-female classes in Ninevah province

The document criticises the “strange studies” of western education, mainly for stopping women from marrying whilst they complete their education.

The west’s obsession with studying “the brain cells of crows, grains of sand and fish arteries” is deemed to be a distraction from the fundamental purpose of humanity – to worship God.

Many of our girls have been lost to secular society. They study things unrelated to religion and that have no worldly use

The manifesto says: “From ages seven to nine, there will be three lessons: fiqh (understanding) and religion, Quranic Arabic (written and read) and science(accounting and natural sciences).”

“From ten to twelve, there will be more religious studies, especially fiqh, focusing more on fiqh related to women and the rulings on marriage and divorce. This is in addition to the other two subjects. Skills like textiles and knitting, basic cooking will also be taught.”

“From thirteen to fifteen, there will be more of a focus on Shariah, as well as more manual skills (especially those related to raising children) and less of the science, the basics of which will already have been taught. In addition, they will be taught about Islamic history, the life of the Prophet and his followers.”

‘Not IS policy’

The document clarifies that it is not official IS policy, nor is it sanctioned by the group’s leadership. It is designed to “clarify the role of Muslim women and the life which is desired for them”

International organisations such as UNESCO and the World Health Organisation are criticised for breaking down “the spaces between peoples” and for removing “the borders between religions”.

The guide is aimed at Arab women, rather than a western audience. References to Saudi Arabia suggest that Saudi women are the main targets.