Radio Islam International – 2019/02/14

It has been revealed that Shamima Begum, one of three pupils from Bethnal Green, east London, who left to join the Islamic State four years ago, told a British Newspaper that she wanted to return back to the UK.

Reportedly speaking from a refugee camp in north-east Syria, Begum, who is nine months pregnant with her third child, told the newspaper: “All I want to do is come home to Britain.”

Her other two children have died from illness and malnutrition, with Begum saying she believed the third would be “taken care of – health-wise at least – in the UK”.

The Director of Outreach at CAGE says the Western populistic view attached to individuals who decide to return from the Islamic State needs to change.

Listen to @UK_CAGE ‘s @Moazzam_Begg on @radioislam at 17:30 PM ( 15:30 PM, UK time) as he talks to @JunaidKharsany about the #ShamimaBegum situation.
Listen LIVE: https://t.co/RBzi0cqHOI

— My Surname is Khan™ (@ejaz_k) February 14, 2019

Moazzam Begg told Radio Islam in an interview on Thursday that there are programmes available to try and integrate individuals back in to society should they return from the Islamic State.

“People are channelled, they are sent over to de radicalisers, the problem is that it’s become highly toxic and something that is mistrusted in the community.”

To rehabilitate and reintegrate Begum back into society will take much work by dedicated professionals.

Meanwhile, Britain’s security minister, Ben Wallace, was quoted as saying that he would not put officials’ lives at risk to rescue UK citizens who went to Syria and Iraq to join Islamic State, insisting “actions have consequences”.

Listen to the full interview with The Director of Outreach at CAGE Moazzam Begg below: