'Baby is British so his jihadi mum is too'
He hints baby is British
SHAMIMA Begum’s baby could be granted British citizenship, Home Secretary Sajid Javid has admitted.
Mr Javid, who moved to revoke
19-year-old Begum’s British passport, said the tot would not be prevented from coming to the UK.
He said stripping Shamima’s citizenship would not affect her son, who was born in a Syrian refugee camp last weekend.
Begum, who joined Islamic State as a
15-year-old, said she was “a bit shocked” when she learned of the Home Office decision.
She suggested she may now seek citizenship in the Netherlands, where her Isis fighter husband is from.
Speaking in the Commons,
Javid said: “Children should not suffer, so if a parent does lose their British citizenship, it does not affect the rights of their child.
“Deprivation is a powerful tool to keep the most dangerous individuals out of this country and we do not use it lightly. But when someone turns their back on the fundamental values and supports terror, they don’t have an automatic right to return.” A Home Office letter explaining the decision has been shown to Begum. She said it was “kind of heartbreaking” and “hard to swallow”. Meanwhile, British Muslim boxing legend Amir Khan has told her: “Stop giving us all a bad name.”
Khan, 32, a staunch anti-extremist who runs a charity to help Syrian refugees, tweeted: “You left to support terrorism, now live with it.” Asked whether she had been left stateless by Britain, the family’s lawyer Tasnime Akunjee said: “It’s certainly something we will be adding to the mix in terms of our appeal.” He has said Begum was born in the UK, has never had a Bangladeshi passport and is not a dual citizen. Last night Bangladesh said Begum was not a citizen of their country.
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