Women’s rights activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu has defended Shamima Begum saying “her mistake was not marrying an IDF soldier”. Dr Shola took to X, formerly Twitter, to say Begum had “married into the wrong terrorist army”.
She claimed that if she had married someone from the IDF “she would be back in the UK now with passport unrevoked”. It comes as British-born Begum waits to hear whether she has succeeded in a Court of Appeal challenge over the removal of her British citizenship.
This was revoked in February 2019 when she was discovered in a Syrian refugee camp having fled the UK aged just 15 to join the terrorist group ISIS and marry one of its fighters.
In previous posts linked to her recent comments, Dr Shola said she did not “support or condone” her actions but said she was against the decision to strip her citizenship calling it an “abrogation of duty and dereliction of responsibility” given she had been radicalised in the UK.
She said that as Begum is British, her crimes should go through the UK’s legal system, adding: “We have worse criminals, mass murderers and terrorists in our prisons whose citizenship has not been revoked”.
Dr Shola’s post read in full: “Shamima Begum’s mistake was marrying an ISIS soldier and not an IDF soldier. She married into the ‘wrong’ terrorist army. If only she had the foresight at 15, she would be back in UK now with passport unrevoked and British citizenship intact.
“She’s the wrong race with the wrong faith who married the wrong terrorist. What a silly girl. Somebody somewhere is taking notes.”
She then went on to say she felt the British government was guilty of “hypocrisy and double standards” over who it considered a terrorist.
A second post read: “My views on Shamima Begum haven’t changed. Hypocrisy and double standards of British government on who is a ‘terrorist’ and who is radicalised and a threat to Britain are astounding.
“Same standard should apply to IDF soldiers participating in the genocide of 30,000 plus innocent Palestinians in Gaza.”
Begum’s appeal results today will come a year after she lost a challenge against the decision at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), with lawyers now bidding to overturn that decision at the Court of Appeal.
Three appeal judges are due to give their ruling on Begum today.
