Socio-Psychological Portrait of Muslim Women who Joined Radical Religious Organizations

Authors

• Akerke Sakbayeva, Al-Farabi Kazakh National UniversityFollow
• Nagima Baitenova, Al-Farabi Kazakh National UniversityFollow
• Zhuldyz Zhorabek, Al-Farabi Kazakh National UniversityFollow
• Assel Alimkhanova, Al-Farabi Kazakh National UniversityFollow
• Raimbek Zeinullin, Al-Farabi Kazakh National UniversityFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

¹https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0649-3752

²https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7353-0457

³https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2317-3778

⁴https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7168-2769

⁵https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4199-6751

Abstract

This article examines the socio-psychological characteristics, motivations for radicalization, and the legal and social status of Muslim women who have joined radical religious organizations from gender and cultural studies perspectives. In recent years, the increasing involvement of women in violent extremist movements has intensified the need to investigate this phenomenon not only as a security issue, but also as a complex social, cultural, psychological, and gender-related phenomenon. The study analyzes both internal and external factors influencing the radicalization of women, including social marginalization, identity crises, emotional dependency, limited religious literacy, and perceptions of social injustice. Particular attention is given to the ways extremist organizations exploit gender stereotypes, construct the image of the “ideal Muslim woman,” and utilize religious narratives as recruitment mechanisms. The article systematizes theoretical models of radicalization, push and pull factors, socio-psychological mechanisms of influence, and the roles assigned to women within extremist environments. The concepts of “radicalization,” “extremism,” “terrorism,” and Islamic concepts such as jihad (spiritual struggle), hijra (religiously motivated migration), ummah (the Muslim community), and caliphate (Islamic political leadership) are examined within both theoretical and religious contexts, distinguishing their traditional meanings from the distorted interpretations instrumentalized by extremist organizations. This approach contributes to conceptual precision and helps avoid reinforcing Islamophobic perceptions that associate Islamic terminology exclusively with violence and securitization. The research employs a qualitative and interdisciplinary methodology based on comparative analysis of open court materials, academic literature, expert reports, and media sources related to women’s radicalization in Kazakhstan. The findings demonstrate that there is no single socio-psychological profile of radicalized women; however, many of them share common social circumstances, motivational patterns, and psychological vulnerabilities.

Recommended Citation

Sakbayeva, Akerke; Baitenova, Nagima; Zhorabek, Zhuldyz; Alimkhanova, Assel; and Zeinullin, Raimbek (2026) "Socio-Psychological Portrait of Muslim Women who Joined Radical Religious Organizations," Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 46 : Iss. 5 , Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55221/2693-2229.2798
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol46/iss5/2