ISIS, the fanatical political, pseudo-religious cult, targeted young people in the West to join their Caliphate in Syrian/IraqI territory. They targeted and recruited Shamima Begun in the early years of her teens. Having groomed her, ISIS encouraged her, aged 15, and two teenage friends to join the cult in the Middle East.
Along with others, Shamima had become totally manipulated until she served the needs of ISIS. As with other followers, she would have only been allowed in the Caliphate to watch, listen and read that which promotes the ideology of the Caliphate leaders.
Shamima now wishes to return to the UK, where she was born and brought up. The British government has revoked her British citizenship.
The circumstances of Shamima Begun and the consequences of exclusion
- The removal of British citizenship leaves Shamima stateless.
- She does not have Bangladeshi citizenship
- It is against international law to make a person stateless.
- Her father lives in a village in Bangladesh
- Her case sets a dangerous precedent
- Her baby son died last month in a Syrian camp
- She lost two previous babies
- British Government claims it is too dangerous to go to the ~Syrian camp where she stays
- Journalists and film crews go to the same camp
- Shamima, now 19, was only 15 when she went left the UK to join ISIS
- Government punishes her through ignoring the circumstances in the UK that led to her nightmare situation
- She is punished for being vulnerable to manipulation
- Hundreds of men in the UK and rest of Europe have returned home after joining the Caliphate
- Why does the British government take away the passport of a young woman, who ‘lost’ her mind?
This decision of the British government sounds like a reaction, a far-right decision, to appeal to populism at the expense of ethics and spiritual principles.
Before she was 15, Shamima was groomed into joining Islamic State, probably due to an unresolved need for approval. One of the signs of a cult is the followers lose their capacity to feel and think for themselves. They submit totally to powerful and persuasive forces, who take over their lives.
Shamima probably carried with her a strong desire to be accepted, to gain social approval and to be liked by her peers and those above her in the social hierarchy.
These patterns brought about a compliance in her attitude and behaviour owing to the manipulation by ISIS of her vulnerabilities.
Lacking in confidence, people like Shamima totally identify with their masters and internalise the views of the cult. This brings about long-term influence in behaviour, even after they have moved away from the cult.
The Priority of the British Home Secretary
Is the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, a son of parents from Pakistan, seeking approval from the Conservative Party to show he is hard and uncompromising? Is he compliant to the perceived wishes of the Party?
Three months ago, Javid resisted allowing search and rescue boats to work in the 30-kilometre-wide English Channel – the world’s busiest shipping lane. The Home Secretary wanted to discourage asylum seekers from the Middle East from crossing over at night in slow moving dinghies. He claimed if he deployed the vessels, then others fleeing their homeland would want to make the journey across the Channel. A heartless approach.
The Home Secretary needs to read Year 1 in A-Levels in Psychology. The first 30 pages address conformity to authority, abusive leaders, internalisation, obedience, compliance and manipulation.
Slowly but surely, Shamima became desensitised to all feelings of love, empathy and compassion.
Skilful psychology, wise counselling and loving attention on a sustained basis provide the steps for her inner renewal and recovery of empathy, integrity and clear thinking.
The British government punishes her for being a vulnerable teenager, who submitted to the demands of older men with an obscene political agenda. A government has the duty to take responsibility for all its citizens, to offer support, not take away their citizenship. Citizenship serves as a very basic human right of citizens.
The British government has abused this human right.
A UK government spokesperson says the Home Secretary has taken away her citizenship to “keeps Britain safe.”
The British government need Shamima back in the UK. She needs support to recover herself, to find renewal, to be with her family and community. She needs to be back home with her mother in Bethnal Green in the East End of London.
Once she has recovered her well-being and integrity, Shamima can share her experiences of what it means to submit to a brutal ideology with all the internalisation and compliance that goes with such submission.
The British government’s decision to keep Shamima out of Britain indirectly supports the likes of ISIS, who used every manipulative strategy to get her out of Britain.