Anti-Criminogenic Impacts of Culture on Female Gang Formation: The Case of Islam

Abstract

Female gangs, a near universal phenomenon, do not seem to form in many Islamic countries. This article posits that it is the emergence of a powerful patriarchal culture under Islam that has impeded gang formation, both by protecting females against public predatory crime and by largely restricting their realms of social action. This aspect of Islamic culture is of interest to Western literature on female gang formation.

KEYWORDS:

• Female gangs
• traditional Islam
• socialization norms
• traditional perspective