Shamima Begum’s mother Asma says her ‘world fell apart’ when she ran away to join ISIS in Syria
The mother of Shamima Begum, the British schoolgirl who joined ISIS, has said her world “fell apart” when she ran away from home.
Asma Begum said her daughter’s bedroom in the family home has not been touched since she travelled to Syria in 2015.
“My youngest daughter is even more present in my mind, the one I think about almost every hour of every day,” the mother said in a statement read at an appeal hearing against the government’s decision to strip Ms Begum, now 23, of her British citizenship.
“When she left home in 2015, our worlds fell apart. Her drawers are still full, her perfume, pens and jewellery, her clothes are still there. Her pyjamas are folded neatly.
“Her school blazer is still hanging on the door in the front room, just as it was when she left.”
Ms Begum’s citizenship was revoked by the Home Office on national security grounds after she was found in a Syrian refugee camp nine months pregnant in February 2019.
Dan Squires KC, her barrister, told the Special Immigration Appeals Commission on the third day of the appeal that her mother’s words were “a powerful indication” of connection between Ms Begum and her family.
The family, who live in Bethnal Green, east London, were not considered in the decision to remove her citizenship, he said, breaching their human right to a family life.
The decision to strip Ms Begum of her citizenship was taken by Sajid Javid, the home secretary at the time, who contended that she also had Bangladeshi citizenship.
The government was not allowed to leave her stateless under international law.
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‘I didn’t hate Britain, I hated my life’
‘Bangladesh would hang her’
Mr Squires said on Wednesday that she would be hanged if she were to return to Bangladesh and was now effectively stateless.
Mr Javid should have considered the effect of removing Ms Begum’s citizenship, when she had never visited Bangladesh and had no passport for the country, he said.
“It is clear that he gave no consideration to the prospect that the deprivation decision would render the appellant de facto stateless,” Mr Squires said.
The Bangladeshi authorities said they did not consider her to be a Bangladeshi citizen, and would provide her with no assistance.
Mr Squires added: “On the contrary, the Bangladesh authorities would have confirmed that the appellant would be hanged if she entered the country.”
Shamima Begum spoke to Sky News last November at a prison camp in Syria
‘Muslims singled out’
Ms Begum’s lawyers also argued the decision to revoke her citizenship failed to consider anti-discrimination laws and led to British Muslims feeling singled out and discriminated against.
Mr Squires said the government’s actions disproportionately targeted British Muslims, citing findings from the Institute of Race Relations which said the deprivation policy is “almost exclusively” applied to Muslims.
The government maintains that there was no error of law in Mr Javid’s decision to revoke her citizenship and says the power to deprive is an important tool in protecting the public.
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Lawyers for the Home Office, who are due to make their oral arguments on Thursday, said that Ms Begum was in Syria “as a result of her own choice to leave the UK”.
Sir James Eadie KC, for the department, continued in written submissions: “It is not appropriate to start from the point at which Ms Begum left the UK, and assume family ties would have remained the same.
“There was, in reality, no equality issue raised by the individual decision in Ms Begum’s case.”
The hearing in London before Mr Justice Jay is due to finish on Friday, with a decision expected in writing at a later date.
Nigel Farage has told Sky News he “can’t be pushed or bullied” by anybody after Elon Musk said the Reform MP “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead his party.
In an interview with Sky’s political correspondent Ali Fortescue, Mr Farage said he has spoken with the billionaire owner of X since his criticism on 5 January, when Mr Musk said: “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
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Asked if the pair are still friends, Mr Farage said: “Of course we’re friends. He just says what he thinks at any moment in time.”
He added he has “been in touch” with Mr Musk, though wouldn’t divulge what they had discussed.
“Look, he said lots of supportive things. He said one thing that wasn’t supportive. I mean, that’s just the way it is,” Mr Farage said.
Musk and Farage met in December. Pic: PA
Asked if he was afraid to criticise the tech mogul, the Clacton MP said the situation was “the opposite”, and he openly disagreed with Mr Musk on his views on far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Mr Farage said: “What he [Musk] was saying online was that effectively Tommy Robinson was a political prisoner and I wouldn’t go along with that.
“If I had gone along with that, he wouldn’t have put out a tweet that was against me.
“By the way, you know, I can’t be pushed or bullied or made to change by anybody.
“I stick to what I believe.”
Mr Musk has endorsed Robinson and claimed he was “telling the truth” about grooming gangs, writing on X: “Free Tommy Robinson”.
But Mr Farage said that Robinson, who is serving an 18-month jail term for contempt of court, isn’t welcome in Reform UK and neither are his supporters.
He said: “If people within Reform think Tommy Robinson should be a member of Reform and play a central role in Reform, that disagreement is absolutely fundamental.
“I’ve never wanted to work with people who were active in the BNP. I’ve made that clear right throughout the last decade of my on/off political career. So that’s what the point of difference is.”
Despite their disagreement, Mr Farage said he is confident Mr Musk will continue to support Reform and “may well” still give money to it.
The entrepreneur has previously spoken positively about Reform UK and there have been suggestions he could make a multi-million-pound donation in its favour.
Devolution plans ‘denial of democracy’
Mr Farage was speaking from Reform’s South East of England Conference, one of a series of regional events aimed at building up the party’s support base.
Elsewhere in the interview, he hit out at the Labour government’s devolution plans which could see some local elections scheduled for May postponed.
This would apply when councils seek permission to reorganise, so that smaller district authorities merge with other nearby ones to give them more sway over their area.
Mr Farage, who is hoping to make gains in the spring contests, claimed the plans are not about devolution but about “elections being cancelled”.
“I thought only dictators cancelled elections. This is unbelievable and devolution or a change to local government structures is being used as an excuse,” he said.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage earlier this month. Pic: PA
He claimed Tory-controlled councils are “grabbing it like it’s a life belt”, because they fear losing seats to Reform.
“It’s an absolute denial of democracy,” he added.
Mr Farage was also asked why many Reform members don’t like to speak on camera about why they support his party.
He said he did not accept there was a toxicity associated with Reform and claimed there was “institutional bias against anybody that isn’t left of centre”.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and divers have been dispatched to find two sisters who vanished in Aberdeen three days ago.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday.
The siblings were captured crossing the bridge and turning right onto a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Police Scotland has launched a major search and said it is carrying out “extensive inquires” in an effort to find the women.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Local officers, led by specialist search advisors, are being assisted by resources including police dogs and our marine unit.”
Aberdeenshire Drone Services told Sky News it has offered to help in the search and is waiting to hear back from Police Scotland.
CCTV of the sisters. Pic: Police Scotland
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The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Police said the Torry side of Victoria Bridge where the sisters were last seen contains many commercial and industrial units, with searches taking place in the vicinity.
The force urged businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review CCTV footage recorded in the early hours of Tuesday in case it captured anything of significance.
Drivers with relevant dashcam footage are also urged to come forward.
CI Bruce added: “We are continuing to speak to people who know Eliza and Henrietta and we urge anyone who has seen them or who has any information regarding their whereabouts to please contact 101.”
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