Shamima Begum, the British national known as an ISIS bride, has been photographed in her current exile residence after several years, appearing notably “pale and thin.” Originally from Bethnal Green in London’s Tower Hamlets borough, she traveled to Syria at the age of 15 in 2015 to join the extremist group, later becoming a child bride to a Dutch convert. Disowned by the UK government in 2019, Begum has been striving to reunite with her family in Britain.
Now 26 years old, Begum has made a rare public appearance during a brief encounter with the Daily Express at the al-Roj detention camp in Syria. Reporters observed her looking frail and pallid, even though her face was obscured by a mask.
During the interview, conducted by Express journalists, Begum, accompanied by Hoda Muthana, an American who also joined ISIS but surrendered in 2019, briefly entered the room before opting not to respond to questions and swiftly departing, stating, “We don’t have anything to say.”
Begum’s legal team is pursuing avenues to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights after exhausting domestic legal options, including a final unsuccessful appeal to the UK Supreme Court in August 2024. The Supreme Court justices stated that the decision on her citizenship would rest with the court, emphasizing the need to consider her potential status as a trafficking victim. Begum’s lawyers criticized the UK for failing to repatriate its citizens and their children detained in Syrian camps, comparing the UK’s inaction unfavorably to other nations’ efforts in similar situations.