What's Luring Western Women To Join IS?

Young women are being lured online to join Islamic State in Syria by promises of rent free homes and war booty, including fridges and cookers, experts say.

According to recent reports, female jihadists also appeal to impressionable teens on forums and social media with stories about pancakes coated in nutella, pictures of kittens and smiling emojis.

While they may sound far-fetched, the reports are not without substance, Dr Erin Saltman, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue told Sky News.

She said: "Women have very specific propaganda aimed at them by Islamic State.

"There is propaganda tailored to females, especially young females, which includes the discussion that they will be married upon arrival which gives romantic notions about finding a husband once they get there".

According to a recent report published by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, as many as 550 western women have fled to Iraq and Syria.

It is feared the three missing teenagers will soon join that number.

Ross Frenett, director of the Against Violent Extremism (AVE) network and co-author of the report, said many are "conned" into believing they will be joining an Islamic "utopia."

One Tweet written by a young female IS convert and referenced in the report reads: "Hijrah [migration] is FARD [a duty]! :)".

Another message on Tumblr says: "In these lands we are rewarded for our sacrifices involved in our Hijrah for example one is by receiving Ghanimah [war booty]".

"Some of the many things include kitchen appliances from fridges, cookers, ovens, microwaves, milkshake machines ... and most importantly a house with free electricity and water provided to you due to the Khilafah and no rent included."

The report, entitled Becoming Mulan, notes that not only do women encourage others to leave their homes, they often give important travel advice, using private messaging to convey more specific tips on fleeing to Syria or Iraq.

Many posts include the juxtaposition of IS' trademark brutality with western cultural references, it says.

It quotes one girl who tweeted that she hoped to "pull a Mulan" while she was in Syria - a reference to a Disney film in which a woman becomes a soldier, despite being banned from fighting.

However this may not be the product of a carefully-constructed propaganda scheme designed to lure young women from their homes.

Many of the posts simply reflect the inevitable western influences which emerge in messages written by women who are in their teens and 20s, Mr Frenett told Sky News.

Furthermore to suggest that women who join IS have all been tricked by propaganda suggests they don't engage in the same ideological processes as men, he said.

He claims that, like their male counterparts, young women are driven by several factors including outrage over perceived atrocities being carried out in Syria, an engagement with IS ideology and a search for identity.

Nevertheless the scope of online propaganda is proving powerful and has taken authorities by surprise.