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Bethnal Green trio

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 2a02:c7d:5e53:2500:f00e:ce51:5723:f363 (talk) at 19:42, 19 February 2019 (Removed link from the name Shamima Begum to article about a different (similarly named) teenager who travelled to Syria two months earlier.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Amira Abase, Shamima Begum and Kadiza Sultana are three British teenagers who previously attended the Bethnal Green Academy in London before leaving home in February 2015 to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). According to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, they were amongst an estimated 550 women and girls from Western countries who had travelled to join ISIL[1]—part of what some[2] have called "a jihadi, girl-power subculture".[3]

Background

On 17 February 2015, Abase, Begum and Sultana flew via Turkish Airlines from Gatwick Airport in West Sussex to Istanbul.[4] Their families went to Turkey in March to probe the disappearance, deeming the police investigation inadequate.[4][5]

Their disappearance has been attributed to Aqsa Mahmood, a woman from Glasgow who joined ISIL in 2013. There have been electronic communications between the girls and Mahmood.[4] She faces criminal charges if she returns.[6] Mahmood denies the allegations.[7]

In March 2015, footage was circulated of Abase Hussen, father of Amira Abase, on a 2012 rally led by Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary against the film Innocence of Muslims. The Metropolitan Police examined the footage but said that it was unlikely that offences had been committed.[8] Hussen said in April that he feels ashamed of his involvement in the rally, as he did not know who had organised it.[9]

The girls stole family jewellery to pay for their flight. At a 2015 Home Affairs Select Committee, then Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe stated that they would not face criminal charges if they returned to the United Kingdom.[10]

Aftermath

The disappearance resulted in the Metropolitan Police giving evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee of the House of Commons on its circumstances in March 2015.[10] The families of the girls received an apology from Scotland Yard, who did not tell them about the other girl from their school who went to Syria in 2014.[11]

British Prime Minister David Cameron has said that police should not be made "scapegoats" for people joining ISIL.[12] Contrary to the stance of the Metropolitan Police, Cameron said, "Whoever has gone out to join a terrorist organisation is breaking the law and has to face the consequences of breaking the law and we have to let the law take its course in the proper way".[13]

In March 2015, a travel ban was imposed upon five girls from the Bethnal Green Academy due to concerns from social services that the girls attend the same school as the three who had already joined the group, stating that it was in the public interest.[14]

The teenagers have not made contact with their families since May 2016. Begum was reported to have married an American jihadist recruit who left her once she became pregnant, whilst Sultana is said to have married a western ISIL fighter with Somali heritage, but wanted to return to the UK after he was killed in battle. Shortly afterwards she was killed in a Russian airstrike.[15] Sultana's family in a phone interview with ITV in August 2016 said that they believed her to have died in an airstrike in May 2016 at the age of 17 while planning to escape.[16][17] The lawyer who represents the family of the teenagers Tasnime Akunjee told ITV that she became too scared of making an escape attempt after another girl Samra Kesinovic was beaten to death for trying to escape.[18] Abase married an 18-year-old Australian jihadist, Abdullah Elmir in July 2016 who was reported by Australian intelligence agencies to have been killed in coalition airstrikes. After the teenagers married foreign jihadists, they moved into the homes of their new husbands in ISIL's de facto capital of Raqqa.[19]

In February 2019, The Times journalist Anthony Loyd found Begum in a Syrian refugee camp. When interviewed, Begum revealed that she was pregnant and hoped to return to the UK to raise her child, but does not regret her decision to join ISIL. She was unfazed by the head of a beheaded man as he was "an enemy of Islam", but believes that ISIL did not deserve victory because of their corruption and oppression.[20] When asked if she would be extracted from Syria, Security minister Ben Wallace claimed "I'm not putting at risk British people's lives to go and look for terrorists or former terrorists in a failed state."[21] On 16 February, Begum gave birth to a boy.[22]

Begum was again interviewed by BBC correspondent Quentin Sommerville. During the interview, Begum asked for forgiveness and claimed she still supports "some British values". She claimed that she was inspired to join ISIL by videos of fighters beheading hostages and also of the "the good life" under the group. However, Somerville noted that she continues to espouse the ISIL ideology and justifies its atrocities. When asked about the Manchester Arena bombing she claimed it was wrong to kill innocent people but justified it as retaliation for the coalition bombing ISIL-held areas. When questioned about the rape, enslavement and murder of Yazidi women she claimed: "Shia do the same in Iraq".[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ Saltman, Erin Marie; Smith, Melanie (2015). 'Till Martyrdom Do Us Part' Gender and the ISIS Phenomenon (PDF). Institute for Strategic Dialogue. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Thomas Hegghammer, an expert on Islamist militancy affiliated with the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (source: GILSINAN, KATHY (25 July 2014). "The ISIS Crackdown on Women, by Women". The Atlantic. Retrieved 25 February 2016.)
  3. ^ GILSINAN, KATHY (25 July 2014). "The ISIS Crackdown on Women, by Women". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2016. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b c "Syria girls: Families 'cannot stop crying'". BBC News. 22 February 2015. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2015. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 23 October 2018 suggested (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Isil defector girls' families go to Turkey to probe disappearance". The Daily Telegraph. 23 March 2015. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Scots jihadi will be prosecuted if she comes home, say police". stv.tv. 10 March 2015. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Cook, James (16 March 2015). "Glasgow 'jihadist' Aqsa Mahmood denies recruiting London girls". BBC News. Archived from the original on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Morgan, Ben (27 March 2015). "Jihadi schoolgirl's father marched at flag-burning rally". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Father of schoolgirl feared to have joined Islamic State denies 'extremism' claim". ITV News. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ a b Barrett, David (10 March 2015). "Three 'Jihadi brides' from London who travelled to Syria will not face terrorism charges if they return". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Morris, Nigel (12 March 2015). "Police sorry for failure to warn families of Isis girls about schoolfriend's flight". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Leaders: Vigilance crucial or more will be lost to IS". The Scotsman. 10 March 2015. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ Beake, Nick (31 March 2015). "David Cameron concerned over Syria-bound London girls". BBC News. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Bowcott, Owen (27 March 2015). "Travel ban for five east London girls over fears they will join Isis in Syria". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ De Peyer, Robin (6 August 2017). "Families fear Bethnal Green schoolgirls who travelled to join Isis are now dead". London: London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Henley, Jon; Dodd, Vikram (12 August 2016). "Kadiza Sultana: London schoolgirl who joined Isis believed killed in Syria airstrike". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ Veselinovic, Milena; McKenzie, Sheena (14 August 2016). "Family fears British girl who went to Syria is dead". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2016. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 1 July 2018 suggested (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Dearden, Lizzie (14 August 2016). "Isis jihadi bride Kadiza Sultana 'abandoned efforts to escape Syria after Austrian girl beaten to death'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "Families fear Bethnal Green schoolgirls who travelled to join Isis are now dead". OPride.com. 4 December 2017. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ Loyd, Anthony (13 February 2019). "Shamima Begum: Bring me home, says Bethnal Green girl who fled to join Isis". The Times. TheTimes.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2019. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "Shamima Begum: Ex-Bethnal Green schoolgirl who joined IS 'wants to come home'". BBC News. 13 February 2019. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "IS teenage bride Shamima Begum gives birth to boy". BBC News. BBC. 17 February 2019. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2019. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "'I didn't want to be IS poster girl'". BBC News. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
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