Why Women Join the Islamic State

Azadeh Moaveni joins Jon Alterman to discuss her new book, Guest House for Young Widows. Azadeh is a writer and journalist who serves as the gender project director at the International Crisis Group. She tells Jon about some of the women she encountered while writing the book and why they joined the Islamic State. Then, Natasha, Will, and McKinley discuss the deradicalization process for women returning to their home countries.

• Will Todman and Erol Yayboke, “Refugees Could Help Solve Lebanon’s Economic Crisis,” CSIS, July 10, 2020.
• Will Todman, “Cross-Border Aid, Covid-19, and U.S. Decisions in Syria,” CSIS, May 8, 2020.
• Azadeh Moaveni, Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS, Penguin Random House, September 8, 2019.
• Transcript, “Why Women Join the Islamic State,” CSIS, August 11, 2020.