Shamima Begum Wants to Return Back to UK after Joining ISIS in 2015

Bangladeshi-British teenager Shamima Begum who escaped from London in 2015 to join the ISIS wants to return to the UK. The young teen who also resides in a refugee camp in Northern Syria is heavily pregnant. Shamima escaped from London when she was just fifteen to become a Jihadi bride along with two other British schoolgirls. She explains that she is not the same naive girl anymore and the health of her unborn baby concerns her. The young girl is 19 now and she has already lost two babies earlier.

Shamima said, “That's why I really want to get back to Britain because I know it will be taken care of - health-wise, at least.” She said she should be giving birth "any day now". “I'll do anything required just to be able to come home and live quietly with my child.” Shamima Begum says however that she has no regret coming to Syria.

When she first stepped in Raqqa she stayed with a group of girls who had come there to become Jihadi brides, she told Times. The teenager applied to marry a foreign fighter who speaks English aged between 20 to 25 years. She finally had the opportunity to marry a Dutchman, 27, who converted to Islam. Life was normal in Raqqa according to the teenager except for “bombs and stuff every now and then.” She admitted seeing a severed head in a bin but that didn’t “faze” her at all. Shamima has no regrets for coming to Syria and joining the ISIS.

Shamima and her Dutch husband escaped two weeks ago from ISIS’ last territory-Baghuz in eastern Syria. Her husband who fought for the ISIS surrendered to Syrian fighters and since then she has not heard from him.

Begum’s parents have appealed to the higher authorities in the UK to show mercy on their daughter. They defended her act by saying that she was too young and vulnerable at that time. She shouldn’t be punished for the mistakes she made as a naive 15-year-old girl. One of the girls named Amira Abase who travelled with Shamima Begum is thought to be alive. Amira’s father says that the girls should be allowed to return back to their country. They should be forgiven as they were vulnerable and deserve a second chance, he told Sky News.

The British government on their part are not happy to welcome Shamima Begum back. They said that they won’t support ISIS supporters to come out of Northern Syria however if they come to a place where there is a recognized government, they would see what can be done next. Security Minister Ben Wallace said that if ISIS supporters return they must be prepared to be investigated. There could be a possibility of prosecution and a jail sentence.

Shamima’s case appears more complex as she seems to show no remorse and doesn’t regret joining the ISIS. Her unborn child’s health is the prime reason why she desires to come back to the UK and not because she’s sorry for joining ISIS. In such a situation, it is difficult to say whether the UK will take a soft stand on Shamima’s case as now safety issues of the nation which are of prime importance, come into play.