Yesterday, Shamima Begum’s mother described how her “world came apart” after her daughter joined the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria.
The mother of Shamima Begum (pictured at the Al-Roj refugee camp in Syria last year) has said she hopes her daughter will be allowed to return to the UK
Asma Begum, speaking for the first time since her daughter escaped to Syria in 2015, expressed concern for her youngest child ‘nearly every hour of every day’ and expressed hope that she will be let to return to Britain.
Mrs. Begum has never talked publicly about her decision as a 15-year-old to fly to Syria, where she married an Islamic State (IS) recruit and had three children, all of whom perished.
At a meeting of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, however, where Miss Begum’s attorneys are fighting the decision to remove her British citizenship, portions of her witness testimony were read.
Mrs. Begum, a mother of four, stated in her statement that her daughter’s school blazer was still hanging on a door in their Bethnal Green, east London, house, where they had celebrated her birthday each year while she has been in Syria.
Begum (centre) was one of three UK teenagers at Bethnal Green Academy who travelled to join ISIS in February 2015, with Kadira Sultana (left), 16, and Amira Abase (right), 15. Sultana is believed to have died in an airstrike in May 2016 while Abase’s whereabouts are unknown
She remarked, “My youngest daughter is even more present in my mind; I think about her nearly every hour of every day.” In 2015, when she left home, our worlds came apart.
Shamima Begum’s mother (seen in the Al-Roj refugee camp in Syria last year) has expressed hope that her daughter would be permitted to return to the United Kingdom.
Begum (center) was one of three British teenagers from Bethnal Green Academy who traveled to Syria in February 2015 to join ISIS; the other two were Kadira Sultana (left) and Amira Abase (right). Sultana is suspected to have been killed in a May 2016 attack, whilst Abase’s whereabouts remain unclear.
Miss Begum’s attorneys assert that she was recruited online by an IS “propaganda machine” and sold into Syria.
Once under the authority of IS, she was married to an adult male recruit within days, sexually exploited, and subjected to coercive control, according to her legal team.
Shamima Begum was 15 in 2015 when she fled the UK to join IS in Syria and become a jihadi bride
Former home secretary Sajid Javid’s decision to remove her British citizenship rendered her ‘an exile for life,’ according to her attorneys, and she remains held in a camp in Syria.
Mrs. Begum’s testimony stated, ‘On her last birthday with us before she departed, she opted for a pizza with candles rather than a cake.
The day she was so pleased. Since she has departed, we still order pizza and commemorate her birthdays with pizza.
It was always sad, but we are looking forward to her return and the birthday party we will throw for her.
Miss Begum lived with her mother and three sisters when her father and his second wife relocated to Bangladesh.
In 2015, at the age of 15, Shamima Begum escaped the United Kingdom to join IS in Syria and become a jihadi bride.
Mrs. Begum stated that she had not disturbed her youngest daughter’s stuff for over seven years.
She stated to the court, “Shamima and I shared a bedroom, and I have not removed any of her belongings from the room.”
Her dresser drawers are still filled with perfume, pens, and jewelry, and her clothing is still present. Her pajamas are carefully folded.
I occasionally inspect the container containing her school books. Her school jacket is still hanging on the main entrance, exactly as it was when she departed.
Attorneys for the Home Secretary argue that Miss Begum, who is now 23 years old, left the United Kingdom voluntarily and remains a threat.
However, a former counter-terrorism officer at MI6 warned that leaving British nationals in Syria could pose a “significantly” greater threat to the country.
Richard Barrett, the former director of global counter-terrorism at MI6, and Paul Jordan, the former adviser to the UN and EU, stated in a report prepared for Miss Begum’s attorneys that it would be more effective to monitor her in this country.
They stated, “From the standpoint of national security, refusing to repatriate individuals currently residing in camps in Syria is likely to be significantly more dangerous in the medium to long term than repatriating them.”
They stated that revoking her citizenship also posed a risk of ‘undermining community relations in this country’ if it was perceived as being connected to her race or religion.
An estimated 61 British nationals, including 18 women, 11 men, and 32 children, are currently detained in Syria. The proceedings continue.