Home Secretary was left with no choice in Shamima Begum case

Not surprisingly, the case of teenage IS bride Shamima Begum has polarised opinion throughout the country.
Sajid JavidSajid Javid
Sajid Javid

It’s certainly true that as we get older our opinions and stances on various issues change.

I’m sure I would have viewed this scenario differently at 24 but, at 54, initially I had a degree of sympathy with her.

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All of our lives are littered with mistakes, some major, some trivial. We are all human.

She is a teenager and all parents who have brought up teenage children know that’s a science in itself. She has made a huge error of judgement, life-changing in fact, but she is a British citizen which means this country to a degree still has an obligation to her.

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However, earlier this week she was reported to have suggested the Manchester terror attack, which saw 22 innocent people murdered, many of them younger than Ms Begum herself, was a justification for attacks by this country on the Islamic State.

That, for me, was the tipping point.

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In my mind, the Home Secretary was left with no choice and was justified in saying Ms Begum’s British citizenship would be revoked.

It has been reported that she also has Bangladeshi citizenship, so the UK will not be leaving her stateless as some have claimed. Her husband is Dutch so she could, presumably, claim nationality from the Netherlands as well.

My sympathies remain with the law-abiding Muslim community in this country, which once again finds itself under an unwelcome spotlight when, like the rest of the people in this country, regardless of race, colour or creed, they want only what’s best for the UK.

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