Shamima Begum moans government is ‘making example of me’ as Brit ISIS brides use false names to avoid losing citizenship
The 19-year-old from East London regrets speaking to so many journalists and drawing attention to herself as she believes it has now backfired
SHAMIMA Begum has moaned she is “being made an example of” and says she regrets speaking publicly.
The jihadi bride was stripped of her British citizenship after saying she had “no regrets” about joining the terror group.
And now other captured Brit women who married ISIS fighters are reportedly giving false names to hide from the limelight and avoid the same fate.
The 19-year-old from East London told the: “They are making an example of me. I regret speaking to the media.
“I wish I had stayed low and found a different way to contact my family. That’s why I spoke.”
At the same time, Kurdish officials running camps in Syria said that groups of British women were giving false names to avoid attention.
Camp managers and captives at the Al-Hol base told the that British jihadi brides were scared after hearing Ms Begum’s story.
The teenager is living with her week-old son, Jarrah, in a corner of the camp designated for foreigners.
HOMESICK JIHADI
The government argues it is legal to strip her of UK citizenship because she is eligible for Bangladeshi citizenship, although Bangladesh has said it will not accept her.
Begum said: “There’s nothing there in Bangladesh. I don’t have the passport and I don’t speak the language. I’ve never been to Bangladesh in my entire life.”
Begum’s case has sparked debate across the UK.
Some argue that she does not deserve to return to the country she abandoned, while some like Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have said she should be allowed to come home.
The Home Office are also considering appeals being made by Jack Letts, nicknamed Jihadi Jack, who wants to return to the UK.
He is in a Kurdish prison camp in Northern Syria, where he has been for the past two years.
The influx of refugees comes as ISIS is driven out of its last stronghold, Baghouz.
The Home Office said last night: “In recent days the home secretary has clearly stated that his priority is the safety and security of Britain and the people who live here.
“In order to protect this country, he has the power to deprive someone of their British citizenship where it would not render them stateless.”
