We must be tough on Isil treachery
Shamima Begum, who ran away to Syria at the age of 15 to become a jihadi’s bride, now asks if she can come back to Britain to “live quietly”. Some will suggest that Britain should be “compassionate”, that we should forgive an impressionable young woman her errors. That is out of the question. By any sensible definition, Ms Begum committed a terrible crime against this country and our way of life by travelling to Syria to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). Justice and public opinion demand that she be punished severely.
Unfortunately, we do not know what the Government’s approach will be, even if Ms Begum will face prosecution if she makes it back to the UK. Of the 400-or-so jihadists who have returned from the Middle East conflict, only 40 have been successfully prosecuted. While America tends to lock people up and throw away the key, Britain tries to rehabilitate, integrate and turn extremists into intelligence assets – a strategy that carries significant risks. How often has a terror attack been followed by the depressing revelation that the culprit was “known” to the security services?
Our laws appear to be completely inadequate for dealing with Ms Begum and her like. The so-called Beatles, terrorists from Britain who committed unspeakable atrocities on behalf of Isil, may end up in Guantanamo Bay because of fears that they would not receive an appropriate punishment in the UK. Even after all these years of dealing with the returnee crisis, Britain operates with a limp definition of treason and the authorities haven’t fully concluded what to do about citizenship or prosecution. Politicians must review the law urgently, and above all be frank with the public about how they intend to deal with a problem that will only grow as the final patches of Isil territory are reclaimed.
As for Ms Begum, many would leave her to rot in the desert. She is now an adult and shows no sign of contrition. She claims to have lost two children, which might elicit sympathy, but also declares herself unfazed by having seen a severed head in a bin. It is true that she says she is pregnant and the child could be classified as a British citizen. The solution to Ms Begum and her ilk must be civilised but firm. When an individual takes up arms against their country, they cannot expect to return to a cosy life in a council house. There are costs to being considered a soft touch by terrorists.