ISIS BRIDE TOLD: YOU’RE NO LONGER BRITISH
Home Office strips Jihadi teen of citizenship after showing no remorse
JIHADI bride Shamima Begum is to lose her British citizenship, the Home Office told her family last night. The 19-year-old, who fled the UK four years ago to join Islamic State, will be stripped of her passport by Home Secretary Sajid Javid.
The family’s lawyer said they would explore “all legal avenues to challenge this decision”.
Begum was at the centre of a row over whether she should be
allowed to return with her newborn son. A letter obtained by ITV news reportedly sent to Begum’s mother by the Home Office read: “Please find enclosed papers that relate to a decision taken by the Home Secretary, to deprive your daughter, Shamima Begum, of her British citizenship.
“In light of the circumstances of your daughter, the notice of the Home Secretary’s decision has been served of file today (19th February), and the order removing her British citizenship has subsequently been made.”
The letter asked Begum’s mother to inform her daughter of the decision, if she was able to make contact.
It also advised the family of Begum’s right to appeal via the Special Immigration Appeals Commission.
Under the 1981 British Nationality Act, a person can be deprived of their citizenship if the Home Secretary is satisfied it would be “conducive to the public good” and they would not become stateless as a result.
It was reported last night that Begum can be stripped of her British citizenship because she has dual British and Bangladeshi nationality.
The move comes after Mr Javid said last week that he would try to stop Begum returning home.
“We must remember that those who left Britain to join Daesh [IS] were full of hate for our country,” he said.
“My message is clear – if you have supported terrorist organisations abroad I will not hesitate to prevent your return.”
Challenge
Begum’s family’s lawyer, Tasnime Akunjee, posted a statement online.
In it, he said: “Family are very disappointed with the Home Office’s intention to have an order made depriving Shamima of her citizenship.
“We are considering all legal avenues to challenge this decision.”
Begum is currently living in a Syrian refugee camp, and gave birth to a boy over the weekend, having already lost two children to illness.
She sparked fury this week by saying she did not regret joining IS.
In a series of high profile television interviews, she explained that she now wants to return to Britain “for the sake of my child”.
“A lot of people should have sympathy for me,” she said.
On Monday in an interview with the BBC, Begum appeared to justify the Manchester Arena bombing by comparing it to military strikes on IS strongholds.
She was one of three schoolgirls from east London who left the UK to travel to Syria in February 2015. The trio flew to Turkey and then travelled overland to Syria aged just 15.
The other two were Kadiza Sultana, who has reportedly been killed in an air strike, and Amira Abase, who is thought to still be with IS.
Once there, Begum married Yago Riedijk, a Dutch Muslim convert who joined Islamic State and is a wanted terror suspect in his home country.
After surfacing at al-Hawl refugee camp in northern Syria last week, Begum insisted she was just a housewife and mother and had not taken part in IS atrocities.
But she admitted to knowing that IS thugs were carrying out beheadings, executions and other atrocities. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen welcomed the decision last night, saying: “There is going to be a huge groundswell of support for this from the public.
“Many people would have sympathy with the idea of stripping British citizenship from anyone who supports groups that have ‘declared war on the British state’.”
Adding a note of caution, Mr Bridgen went on: “I have considerable concerns about the legal precedence for this and whether it’s going to stand up.”
There are currently plans to change the law to make travelling to certain terror hotspots a criminal offence, but this would not apply retrospectively to Ms Begum.
Around 425 suspected jihadi fighters are thought to have returned to the UK from Syria so far.
The Home Office declined to comment last night.