Woman who joined Islamic State loses appeal to strip her of British citizenship

A British-born woman who traveled to Syria as a student to join the Islamic State made a final appeal on Friday to have her British citizenship revoked.

The British government stripped Shamima Begum of her citizenship on national security grounds in 2019, shortly after she was found in a detention camp in Syria.

Begum, now 24, argued the decision was illegal because British authorities did not adequately consider whether she was a victim of kidnapping, a claim rejected by a lower court in February 2023.

Following an appeal in October, the Court of Appeal in London rejected his appeal on Friday.

Judge Sue Carr said: “It could be argued that the verdict in Mrs Begum's case was harsh. It could also be argued that Begum authored her own misfortune.”

“But it is not for this court to agree or disagree with either opinion. Our only duty is to assess whether the loss decision was unlawful.”

“We decided it was not and the appeal was dismissed.”

The government has welcomed this decision.

“Maintaining the safety and security of the UK is our priority and we will vigorously defend any decision made in this regard,” a Home Office spokesman said.

Begum's lawyers have called on the UK to return him and others in Syria, describing the refusal to do so as “disgraceful”.

“All the other countries have returned their citizens – France, Germany, Belgium, the US, Canada, Australia,” Begum's lawyer, Gareth Pearce, told reporters.

“All countries in a comparable position find that they have no choice but to withdraw their subjects. England is now almost alone.”

Begum left London in 2015, aged 15, with two school friends for Syria, where she married an IS fighter and gave birth to three children, all of whom died as infants.

She has been with thousands of foreign women and children in al-Roj camp in Syria since 2019.