Shamima Begum is mourning the loss of her new-born baby Jarrah, who died in a refugee camp in northern Syria only a week after ‘jihadi bride’ Shamima has asked to come home to Britain.
Shamima, who went to school in Tower Hamlets, had travelled to Syria at the age of 15 and married a Dutch Isis fighter. Four years later, she was interviewed by a Times journalist and repeatedly asked for UK authorities to “take me back for the health of my baby”.
Many children have died at the camp due to night-time cold and malnutrition. British authorities knew of this possibility, as did Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who made the decision to strip Begum of her citizenship. In doing so, he stripped this innocent child of life itself.
Javid made his decision knowing Jarrah would be affected. He knew what conditions the baby was going to be left in. We as a country should have acted to save him. Sajid Javid could have sent for Jarrah, but he chose not to. Did he believe Jarrah was guilty by association? What were his reasons for not bringing the baby home? It wasn’t Jarrah’s fault that he was born to a misguided teenager who made a huge mistake.
What Shamima did is inexcusable and her lack of remorse makes it even more difficult to take her back. But I think she needs to be put on trial in her home country and brought to justice for any crimes she may have committed. The Government has so often spoken of our shared ‘British values’ – surely, if anything is to be a ‘British value’, it should be compassion that makes the cut?
We made a huge mistake with Jarrah; he should have been brought home without being left in what turned out to be a camp of death. Sajid Javid should be ashamed because the death of Jarrah could have been avoided – but in a bid to show how powerful he is, Javid cost an innocent his life.
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