Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to vigorously defend the decision to withdraw ISIS bride Shamima Begum’s citizenship amid a new legal challenge. Begum’s legal team argues that she was manipulated and exploited for sexual purposes at the age of 15, prompting the European Court of Human Rights to seek clarifications from the UK government regarding this controversial action.
Having traveled to ISIS-held territory as a schoolgirl, London-born Begum contests the decision to strip her of British citizenship in 2019. Despite her plea, a government official confirmed that Mahmood stands firm on the matter.
Former Home Secretary Sajid Javid deemed Begum a national security threat, leading to the citizenship revocation after her marriage to an ISIS fighter and subsequent residence in a Syrian camp. Begum’s lawyers are challenging the move based on the prohibition of slavery and forced labor under the European Convention on Human Rights, following a denial from the UK Supreme Court to review the case.
In response to queries from Strasbourg judges, the Home Office is being asked to consider whether Begum was trafficked and should have been protected as a vulnerable minor. The legal representative, Gareth Peirce, highlighted the failures in safeguarding a child at high risk of exploitation and trafficking to ISIS-controlled areas.
Despite the legal challenges, a government source affirmed the Home Secretary’s unwavering stance to defend the citizenship revocation of Begum, emphasizing national security as the top priority. The Conservative Party echoed this sentiment, opposing Begum’s return to the UK under any circumstances.
Begum, now 26, journeyed to Syria with two schoolmates in 2015, both reportedly deceased. Following her marriage to an ISIS fighter, she bore three children who tragically did not survive.