Studies of “ICSR Department of War Studies, King’s College London” show that almost 41,490 international citizens from 80 countries joined IS in Iraq and Syria, 75% were men, 13% women and 12% minores.

Jihadist organizations usually include women, as an important member of their organizations. This brings a lot of advantages like using them to implement some violence acts, which will not be expected of them. This can also be applied on the manipulation of youngsters and children by these extreme violent organizations. Woman can be mothers and wives which means they will have power over their children by educating them, advising and raising them according to the Islamist ideology. There are also some examples of mothers who convinced their daughters to join jihadists.

According to Sheikh Munir most individuals who enlist in ISIS, do it so for several reasons. Either to become a war martyr and thus give a transcendent meaning to life, or to pursue a better life promised to them on the Internet through highly studied messages to manipulate the target. Many are youngsters, living an identity crisis. The Imam of the Central Mosque of Lisbon says that according to Islam no one can compel another to be like them. Sheik Munir emphasizes that being a believer is important but knowing their belief and their creed is much more relevant. For Sheikh Munir who becomes a radical is someone that does not know their own belief: “Islam condemns all kinds of radicalism, all kinds of terrorism and all kinds of violence”.