Ex-ISIS woman loses appeal to regain British citizenship

A British-born woman who fled the UK as a teenager to join ISIS in Syria filed an appeal against the decision to revoke her British citizenship and was rejected. 

When Shamima Begum, who is now 23 years old, left her home in East London in 2015, she was a 15 years old and still in high school. She entered Syria after visiting Turkey with two friends. Later, she married an ISIS fighter and had three children, all of whom have passed away. She then remained a member of ISIS up to its defeat and the internment of its followers. Begum lost her British citizenship in 2019 after she was discovered residing in a camp in northern Syria, and then she wanted to go back to the UK, according to the Washington Post. 

Although she claimed she had been a victim of trafficking, Begum has been unsuccessful in her fight to retain her British citizenship. Her appeal has been completely rejected, Justice Robert Jay informed the court that was handling her case in a semi-secret setting. The decision means that Begum will remain in a camp in northern Syria and is unable to return to the UK. However, her legal team stated that the verdict will be appealed, the BBC reported. 

Her attorney’s claimed that Begum's journey to Syria was “facilitated by a Canadian agent” working for ISIS. According to the tribunal's decision, the British government said that the agent had not incited Begum to travel, Reuters reported. 

Begum's appeal was heard by Britain's Special Immigration Appeals Commission for five days in November. Days ago, the commission stated that it had rejected her appeal. Begum, whose parents are Bangladeshis, is a citizen of Bangladesh, according to the British government. However, Bangladesh has asserted that she is not a citizen and has never visited the nation, the Washington Post reported. 

It is worth mentioning that more than 500 foreign women and children associated with ISIS were repatriated from camps in northeastern Syria in 2022, according to Kurdish authorities in November. Eleven people have returned to their homes in Britain since 2019, Reuters reported. 

According to the Washington Post, Britain has dramatically increased the use of its authority to control citizenships in recent years. Those having dual or more nationalities are less secure than those with one nationality, as the British government can revoke citizenship for the “public good.”  The British government's strategy has been criticized for discriminating against people from immigrant backgrounds and attempts to shift blame to the person's “second” country. 

Begum's attorneys urged Home Secretary Suella Braverman to reexamine the case. Meanwhile, human rights organizations and activists have criticized the decision and the government's stance, arguing that Begum was a victim of child exploitation, according to the BBC.