‘ Shamima needs to be held accountable’

Diane Foley’s son James, 40, was the American journalist beheaded by ISIS in 2014. The video of his gruesome murder was broadcast via Youtube and his remains have never been recovered.

Life has been very difficult since James died and I try to take some comfort in his legacy. I learned of the man James was not in his life, but after his death. I loved him as a mother, but I didn’t see the man of moral courage he had become until after he died.

Because of this, James’s death has challenged me personally in the way that I think. So with regards to Shamima Begum and other ISIS brides who are now wanting to come back to the good life they left behind, I have to think about his values.

That’s why I think it’s very important that we show that we care about human rights, something James was passionate about. Personally, I think that Shamima’s child should be protected and brought home as soon as possible. But, for justice to be done – and human rights to be upheld – she needs to be held accountable for what she has done.

Of course, there is truth in the argument that Shamima was groomed and left London as a child. But now, four years on, her thinking is full of ISIS ideology. She would need an awful lot of surveillance should she ever be allowed home. I can’t say that I think revoking her citizenship is the right decision to make. If she is stateless she is going to be more angry than ever. That means she is, potentially, an even greater threat if she remains at large with no one monitoring her.

But this is not just about her. This is about the thousands of ISIS fighters and their wives and children who, if left to their own devices and not brought to justice, could pose a further security threat.

I don’t want evil to win. I want people who care about others to win. That’s what James stood for.