Who is Shamima Begum? Where is she now, is she in the UK, and what did she do as citizenship appeal dismissed

Shamima Begum's judicial battle against the decision to strip her of her British citizenship has proved unsuccessful. A tribunal dismissed her claim on Wednesday (22 February) following a five-day hearing in November 2022.

Begum was just 15-years-old when she and her school friends travelled from Bethnal Green in London to Islamic State (IS) controlled Syria.

The 23-year-old had her British citizenship revoked in 2019 due to grounds of national security and has been unable to return home to the UK. She is currently involved in a legal challenge with the Home Office to have her citizenship restored.

So who is Shamima Begum, what has she been accused of and how can you listen to the BBC podcast? Here’s everything you need to know.

Who is Shamima Begum?

Shamima Begum was just 15-years-old when she and her school friends Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase left their homes in Bethnal Green, East London to travel to Syria to join Islamic State. Whilst living under IS rule she married a Dutch fighter and had three children - all of whom have passed away due to illness.

Where is she now?

Begum has been living at the Al-Roj prison camp in North East Syria since 2019 following the defeat of IS. She has not been charged with any crime and it is not known how long she will be held in the camp. Speaking in the BBC podcast, “The Shamima Begum Story”, she describes conditions at the camp as “worse than a prison”.

What is she accused of?

Begum is accused of being a security risk after she travelled to Syria to join IS, when she was just 15-years-old. She has also been accused of taking part in IS atrocities, but denied this during an interview with Sky News in 2021, where she said she was: “willing to fight [the charges] in a court of law” but hadn’t been “given a chance.”

Her British citizenship has been revoked on grounds of national security meaning she cannot return home to the UK. The 23-year-old is currently in a legal battle with the Home Office, who will decide whether she was a victim of trafficking for sexual exploitation, or fully committed to joining IS and its cause.

What has Shamima Begum said about IS?

Begum has appeared in many interviews since she was discovered living in the Al-Roj prison camp in Syria in 2019. Her most recent for the BBC Sounds podcast, The Shamima Begum Story: I’m not a monster, reveals the 23-year-old acknowledges that she was part of the terror group IS.

She explained that she is “not a bad person” adding that she was “so much more than ISIS and I’m so much more than everything I’ve been through.”

Begum acknowledges that she understands society’s anger towards her, she explained:“ But I don’t think it’s actually towards me. I think it’s towards ISIS.” She added: “When they think of ISIS they think of me because I’ve been put on the media so much.”

How can I listen to the Shamima Begum podcast?

Begum spent a year talking to journalist Josh Baker for a BBC Sounds podcast. The first episode of the ten-part series was released on Wednesday (11 January), with a new episode dropping weekly. The podcast will include exclusive interviews from Begum and reveal new insights about her story.