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A teen who has been trying to return to the UK with her newborn after fleeing the country to join ISIS, has now had her citizenship stripped to prevent her return, which could face challenges over the legality of such a move.
Shamima Begum, 19 and who just gave birth this past weekend, had fled the UK to join the Islamic State group in Syria when she was aged 15. She has been seeking to return and raise her child quietly, while officials were delaying her return as they sought a legal means of preventing her from reentering the country.
Because of her British citizenship, under UK laws, the nation was under obligation to allow the so-called ISIS “poster girl” to return. However, stripping Begum of her citizenship removes that obligation.
Begum left East London in 2015. Currently, she is reported to be at a Syrian refugee camp after reportedly leaving Baghuz, ISIS’s last stronghold.
Begum had her citizenship stripped the 1981 British Nationality Act, which states that 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.
An attorney for the family announced they are considering “all legal avenues” to challenge the removal of Begum’s British citizenship.
Britain’s Conservative MP George Freeman called the move a “mistake” that would set a “dangerous precedent.”
Freeman added on Twitter: “She was born here, educated here & is our responsibility. We should defend our system & she should be brought back to face the UK courts.”
Even though officials stripped Begum of her UK citizenship, her child may still be considered a British citizen. Technically, any child born to a British parent before they are deprived of their citizenship would be British.
Officials are now looking into whether Begum might technically be a Bangladeshi national.
Ms. Begum’s mother was a Bangladeshi national, and if that is the case, under Bangladesh law, Ms. Begum would be also.
Begum has said that she traveled to Syria with her sister’s UK passport, but states it was taken from her when she crossed the border. Her heritage is believed to be Bangladeshi, but she told BBC reporters that she did not have a Bangladesh passport and had never been to the country.
