Editorials

Should Shamima Begum be allowed back?

21 February 2019

By Lauren E. White

It’s been a solid few days since Shamima Begum, the British-born ISIS bride, made news headlines for wanting to return to Britain with her newborn son, and discussion about it shows no sign of letting up.

The country is divided about whether or not Begum should be allowed back into Britain, and the natural, immediate response is, of course, a firm ‘no’. After all, why on Earth would Britain want to allow someone who supported ISIS so much so that she fled to Syria aged 15 to marry one of their militants? It seems totally irrational.

Image result for shamima begum

However, things in politics and international relations are rarely so simple, and it took the Home Office a few days before they worked out any solution to Begum’s case. The solution the Home Secretary Sajid David has reached is to strip Begum of her British citizenship, relying on the belief that she is entitled to citizenship in Bangladesh. However, Bangladesh has come out strongly to say that Begum is not a citizen and is certainly not welcome there. Now, the woman is completely stateless and living in eastern Syria where she is also completely unwanted.

In terms of sympathy for Begum, I have none. At 15-years-old, it’s easy to get wrapped up in bad things. But these things usually aren’t international terror groups such as ISIS. If Begum had actually shown some kind of remorse and pain in her TV interviews rather than smugness and arrogance, things would be different. Maybe people would think twice about slamming the door in her face because she wouldn’t have appeared as dangerous as she does now.

Whether or not she should be allowed to return to Britain is irrelevant. She should be prosecuted for what she has done, though that is now never going to happen seeing as Britain will not have her back. The only reason Begum should be allowed back is if she is to be prosecuted. Now, though, the government has seemingly let her off the hook and she is free to find citizenship elsewhere, even if the Netherlands, where her husband is from, is unlikely to accept her.

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