The Image and Representations of Women in Extremist Contexts: A Comparative Study between the Early and Contemporary Kharijite Model

Abstract

This study examines the representations of women within extremist contexts through a comparative analysis of the early Kharijite model and contemporary extremist organizations influenced by Kharijite ideology. It aims to analyze the image of women constructed by extremist discourse, explore the roles assigned to them, and identify the discrepancy between ideological rhetoric and practical application. Employing a comparative descriptive-analytical methodology, the study examines historical accounts of early Kharijite women alongside contemporary extremist literature, media publications, and organizational practices. The findings reveal that contemporary extremist discourse portrays women through narratives of empowerment, protection, religious commitment, and agency to facilitate recruitment and ideological commitment. However, these representations ultimately reduce women to functional roles that serve the preservation and expansion of extremist organizations through recruitment, indoctrination, propaganda, logistical support, and the reproduction of future generations. The comparative analysis further demonstrates that, whereas early Kharijite women occasionally exercised visible military and leadership roles, contemporary extremist groups largely confine women's participation to organizational and ideological functions despite claims of empowerment. The study also identifies a structural contradiction between the discourse of dignity, protection, and participation promoted by extremist ideologues and the practical realities of subordination, instrumentalization, and ideological manipulation experienced by women within these movements. It concludes that extremist narratives concerning women are primarily organizational constructs rather than authentic representations of Islamic teachings and recommends greater scholarly attention to correcting distorted religious concepts related to women in counter-extremism discourse.