Great Britain wants to deprive a young British woman, who joined the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) in Syria and now wants to go back home, the citizenship. The family of Shamima Begum was „very disappointed with the Ministry of the Interior’s intention to give instructions,“ a lawyer from the family, Tasnime Akunjee, said yesterday.
Reference to Bangladesh
According to the news channel ITV News, Begum’s mother was informed about the plans in a letter from the Ministry of the Interior. She was warned that the young woman could appeal. According to media reports, the government in London believes Begum is eligible for Bangladeshi citizenship because her family originally came from there.
„In order to protect this country,“ the Home Office had the authority to deny British citizenship to anyone if the person was not released into statelessness, the Press Association news agency quoted the Home Office. For individual cases, this would not comment.
There has been a heated debate in the UK over Begum for days. She made headlines in the British press four years ago when, as a 15-year-old with two friends, she traveled to Syria via Turkey to join the IS militia.
Child born in a prison camp
At the weekend, she gave birth to a child in a Kurdish prison camp in northeastern Syria. She appealed to the British authorities to show „compassion“ and allow her to raise the child in Britain. At the same time she showed no regrets about her decision to join the IS.
In an interview with the broadcaster BBC on Monday, she compared the attack on the Manchester Arena with military attacks on IS strongholds. The attack was a „retaliatory act“. On May 22, 2017, a Briton with Libyan roots blew himself up after a pop concert by US singer Ariana Grande. He killed 22 people, including seven children and adolescents under the age of 18.
Debate about returning IS fighters
In the UK, the Begum case triggered a debate on how to deal with jihad returnees. In northern Syria, several thousand foreign IS militants, their wives and children have been arrested by the Kurdish troops. The IS supporters pose a dilemma to their home countries, as they are considered as an incalculable security risk on return, but the Kurds are unable or unwilling to hold on to it in the long term.
