The Jihadi-Oriented Women’s Management Model Based on the Integration of Religious Faith and Context-Driven Creativity (Case Study: Hazrat Zainab (S) Network, Rafsanjan)

Extended Abstract
 
Introduction and Objectives: In contemporary societies, effective crisis management increasingly relies not only on material resources and technological solutions but also on social capital, indigenous practices, and local trust networks. Iran, with its long history of natural and social crises, possesses significant cultural capacities for community-based crisis response. However, many of these capacities—particularly those mobilized by women—remain underexplored and insufficiently documented. Beyond their familial roles, Iranian women function as social connectors, organizers, and facilitators within both community and religious spheres. By drawing upon social trust, collective solidarity, and a sense of shared responsibility, women are uniquely positioned to mitigate the effects of crises and sustain community resilience.
Despite this potential, existing literature on crisis management has predominantly emphasized formal, technical, and institutional approaches, often overlooking informal, spontaneous, and women-led initiatives. This study specifically focuses on the Hazrat Zainab (S) Network in Rafsanjan, which, over the past fifty years, has exemplified sustained, women-led organizational efforts in crisis management. The research aims to uncover and analyze an indigenous model of crisis management that integrates religious conviction with context-driven creativity. The objectives of the study include:

Identifying the mechanisms underlying the formation and sustainability of women’s trust networks;
Analyzing informal leadership and communication structures;
Examining strategies for mobilizing material, social, and emotional resources; and
Elucidating the advantages and limitations of this women-led model relative to formal institutional approaches.

Ultimately, the study seeks to propose an indigenous, generalizable framework of crisis management grounded in women’s lived experiences and the cultural-semantic fabric of Iranian society.
Method: This study employed a qualitative approach based on cultural ethnography to uncover the nuanced dimensions of women’s jihadi-oriented crisis management within Rafsanjan’s social and religious context. Ethnography, as a phenomenological and interpretive method, emphasizes understanding participants’ lived experiences within their historical, cultural, and social settings.
The study population consisted of female activists affiliated with the Hazrat Zainab (S) Network in Rafsanjan, each with a minimum of five years of voluntary participation and direct exposure to crises, including the Iran-Iraq war, the Bam earthquake, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected through 25 in-depth semi-structured interviews guided by a standardized protocol validated for content by five experts in sociology and crisis management. Interviews lasted between 60 and 120 minutes, and participants were selected through purposive sampling, followed by snowballing until theoretical saturation was achieved.
In addition to interviews, field observations of ongoing activities and archival document reviews were conducted to ensure triangulation and enhance credibility. Collected data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2022) reflexive thematic analysis, implemented in six stages from initial coding to theme development. Rigor and reliability were ensured through data triangulation, peer debriefing, participatory recoding, and alignment with Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) trustworthiness criteria. Ultimately, the analysis yielded seven core mechanisms that form the foundation of the women’s jihadi-oriented crisis management model in Rafsanjan.
Results: The reflexive thematic analysis revealed a comprehensive model of women’s jihadi-oriented crisis management in Rafsanjan, organized around seven interrelated core mechanisms that integrate religious faith, context-driven creativity, and women’s self-organization.

Dynamic Dedication: Religious faith serves as the system’s driving force, translating spiritual values into practical action. Donations, religious rituals, and spiritual capital are leveraged to generate sustainable financial and motivational resources for crisis response.
Gender-Sensitive Problem Identification: This mechanism emphasizes recognition of women’s hidden needs during crises, including family care, psychological support, and privacy preservation, offering a model of gender-responsive intervention.
Transforming Gendered Limitations into Expertise: Domestic skills, including sewing, confectionery, and embroidery, are redefined as productive tools that enhance women’s economic, social, and crisis-response capacities.
Operational Family-Centeredness: Harmonizing jihadi missions with familial responsibilities ensures sustained participation of women and strengthens the institutional resilience of the network.
Jihadi-Oriented Resilient Economy: By eliminating intermediaries, establishing self-reliant marketplaces, and ensuring transparent reporting to donors, the network cultivates an ethical, trust-based economic model aligned with religious and social values.
Contextual Adaptability: Flexibility in leadership rotation, task reassignment, and local resource utilization enables rapid response, creating an agile, non-bureaucratic organizational structure capable of adapting to evolving crises.
Resilient Human Capital: A combination of expertise, commitment, and faith sustains organizational cohesion and ensures continuity of operations during crises.

Collectively, this model positions religious faith as a catalyst for operational innovation and highlights women as central agents of social resilience, capable of transforming cultural constraints into indigenous development capacities.
Discussion and Conclusion: The analysis demonstrates that the Rafsanjan women’s jihadi-oriented crisis management model exemplifies an integrated framework of religious faith, context-driven creativity, and networked organization, offering an indigenous template for crisis management in Islamic societies. The theoretical foundation of the model rests on three core pillars:

Religious Faith as a Driver of Operational Innovation: Spiritual values are translated into tangible capacities, supporting resource mobilization, collective motivation, and activity continuity.
Organizational Agility and Contextual Adaptability: Flexible structures, local decision-making, and rapid response mechanisms transform rigid bureaucratic models into self-organizing, resilient networks.
Turning Gendered Limitations into Competitive Advantages: Redefining women’s domestic and social roles in skill education, care provision, and economic management enhances participation and strengthens social resilience.

Practically, the model demonstrates that women-led community institutions, leveraging local trust networks and religious conviction, can effectively deliver relief, support social reconstruction, and restore hope even in the absence of formal institutional structures. The mechanisms of operational family-centeredness, jihadi-oriented resilient economy and resilient human capital ensures model sustainability and indicate its potential transferability to other regions.
From a policy perspective, the findings highlight the need for institutional support for women’s volunteer networks, facilitation of context-driven training, and the integration of religiously-informed approaches into national crisis management frameworks. Theoretically, the study proposes a paradigm wherein faith serves as a source of meaning, creativity functions as a survival strategy, and women act as connectors of social capital.
Ultimately, the Rafsanjan women’s jihadi-oriented management model underscores that genuine social resilience emerges not merely from external resources but from the synergy of spirituality, rationality, and collective action within indigenous cultural frameworks. This model provides valuable insights for rethinking crisis management strategies in Iran and similar contexts, emphasizing the critical role of women’s leadership, trust networks, and culturally grounded approaches.
Acknowledgments: This article is derived from the research project titled “Women’s Jihadi-Oriented Management Model Based on the Integration of Religious Faith and Context-Driven Creativity,” conducted with the financial and academic support of the Baqir al-Uloom Research Institute. The authors sincerely appreciate the Institute’s support and the cooperative participation of female activists from the Hazrat Zainab (S) Network in Rafsanjan.
Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no financial or organizational conflict of interest in the conduct, writing, or publication of this research. All stages of the study were carried out independently and in accordance with established research ethics principles.