The Role of Women in Countering Youth Religious Radicalization
in the Digital Age
in the Digital Age
Issam El Birch
Professor at Ibn Tofail University
Women occupy a central position in Morocco's religious policy aimed at preventing youth radicalization and contributing to de-radicalization efforts. Following the 2004 religious reforms, women have increasingly assumed key roles within the state-supervised religious sphere, serving as ‘alimat (religious scholars), murshidat (religious guides), and literacy educators. While excluded from leading prayers, their involvement in formulating and disseminating counter-narratives to extremist ideologies has been identified as crucial. In the contemporary digital landscape, where extremist ideologies proliferate across online platforms, young people are particularly vulnerable to radicalization through the migration of ideas in cyberspace. Women's roles, both within families and communities, position them as key actors in promoting religious literacy, fostering critical thinking, and countering the appeal of extremist narratives encountered online. This gendered approach within Morocco’s religious policy underscores the state's recognition of women’s capacity to mitigate the influence of digital extremism, particularly among youth. The objective of this study is to examine the efficacy of women’s roles within Morocco’s strategy for countering online radicalization and to explore the broader applicability of this approach in addressing global challenges posed by the migration of radical ideologies in the digital age.
Keywords: Women, youth radicalization, digital extremism, online narratives, religious policy, Morocco, counter-narratives, de-radicalization, migration of ideas