Shamima Begum recently made headlines as the “ISIS Bride” after leaving London to go to Syria at the age of 15. Read to know more.
Who is Shamima Begum and where is she now?
Eight years ago, Shamima Begum left for Syria with two of her friends- Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase. The British-born girls joined the ISIS terror group and married ISIS fighters. As per a report by Evening Standard, Sultana, and Abase were in touch with their families after leaving the country. However, Sultana is reported to have lost her life in a Russian Strike in 2016.
Shamima Begum had three children but they died in infancy. Recently, she lost the challenge against the UK government’s decision of removing her British citizenship. Due to this, she cannot return to the UK and will be in a Syrian refugee camp in “exile for life”. She was widely criticized for saying the May 2017 attack in the Manchester Arena was “justified”. A suicide bomber denoted an explosive, taking 22 lives. However, since beginning her attempt to return to the UK, she sought “forgiveness” for her earlier remarks.
More on the ISIS bride
On Wednesday, the UK government welcomed the Special Immigration Appeals Commission’s ruling. Previously, Sajid Javid stripped Begumn’s citizenship in the interest of national security. However, her lawyers later claimed her to be a victim of human trafficking. “Foreign fighters should be brought to justice following due legal process in the most appropriate jurisdiction. Where possible, this should be in the region where the crimes had been committed. We continue to work closely with our international partners on this. The government will do all it can to ensure the safety and security of the UK,” said the UK government in 2019.
In an interview with the BBC, the now 23-year-old shared her decision for joining ISIS. “But what was there to obsess over, we went to ISIS that was it, it was over, it was over and done with, what more is there to say? Like, they just wanted to continue the story because it was a story, it was the big story,” stated Begum.