Wave of ISIS brides to return to Britain: The wives of Muslim terrorists who may come again to the UK beneath new proposal – as livid Tories urge Starmer to not ‘reward terrorism’

Shamima Begum may be the face of Britain’s jihadi bride headache, but more than a dozen other ISIS women could also have to be taken back if ministers accept the finding of a new review. 

The Independent Commission on UK Counterterrorism said the 26-year-old and other Britons held in Syrian detention camps such as Al Hol and Al Roj should be repatriated – warning the facilities risked being seen as ‘Britain’s Guantanamo’. 

This was a reference to the notorious US detention facility Guantanamo Bay, which was used to indefinitely hold al-Qaeda suspects without charge or trial in the years following the 9/11 terror attacks. 

Reprieve, a human rights charity operating in the Syrian detention camps, estimates they are currently home to around 70 Britons, of which around 20 are women, 40 children and 10 men. Most have not been named. 

Those whose identities are known include Shamima Begum’s former schoolmate Sharmeena Begum – no relation – who was the first pupil from Bethnal Green Academy in east London to leave the UK to join ISIS in 2014.

Amira Abase, 26 – who left with Shamima Begum from the same school two months later – is also believed to remain alive, although her whereabouts are unknown.  

Sisters Reema and Zara Iqbal – also from east London and now both in their thirties – were alive as recently as 2019, with Reema in Roj camp and Zara in another unknown facility.

Other British women who fled to join ISIS include ‘White Widow’ Sally Jones and Aqsa Mahmood, who left Scotland at the age of 19. Jones was killed in an airstrike in 2017 and Mahmood is also believed dead. 

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer previously criticised the decision to strip Begum of her citizenship, but went on to change his stance by insisting that national security ‘comes first’. 

Today, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp MP demanded he reject calls by the Independent Commission on UK Counterterrorism to allow her to return to the UK. 

He told the Mail: ‘Shamima Begum joined a terrorist organisation that beheaded British citizens, enslaved women, and declared war on our country. The idea that she should stroll back into Britain is beyond comprehension.

‘Keir Starmer may lack the backbone to challenge this committee, but his weakness cannot be the basis for Britain’s security decisions. We must never reward terrorism.’ 

Begum had her UK citizenship revoked after joining ISIS but has been pursuing a legal campaign to get it back and return to Britain. She finally lost her court battle last year when her appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court. 

Members of the counter-terrorism commission, who include former Attorney General Dominic Grieve and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, examined her case as part of a three-year review of the UK’s counter-terror policy. 

Their report found that letting UK-linked people remain in Syrian detention camps was ‘inconsistent’ with human rights obligations.

It stated: ‘The government should facilitate the voluntary repatriation for British nationals, including those deprived of British nationality. It should appoint a special envoy to oversee repatriation and inform returnees of the likelihood of prosecution.

‘As escapes from camps are likely to lead to some returns to the UK, an organised programme of return, rehabilitation and integration is the best long-term option for managing risk.’

Among those to criticise the suggestion were Mark Littlewood, director of Popular Conservatism. 

He told Good Morning Britain: ‘Shamima Begum has had her British citizenship stripped, that was a due legal process. 

‘This was all tried and tested in court, including the Supreme Court – the highest in the land. We can’t keep revisiting that decision.’ 

Begum was seen for the first time in years in September, when she stormed out of an interview with a journalist. 

Born and raised in Bethnal Green, she was 15 when she left London and became a child bride to Dutch Islamic convert Yago Riedijk, with whom she had three children who all died as infants.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid stripped her of British citizenship in 2019.

Begum’s lawyers and supporters have argued that she was a minor who was groomed and trafficked. 

She was accompanied by two other schoolgirls, Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase. Sultana is believed to have died in an explosion, but Begum said in 2019 that she had heard reports Abase was still alive.   

Abase wed an 18-year-old Australian jihadist, Abdullah Elmir, in July 2016. 

While Shamima Begum claims to have renounced ISIS, her former schoolmate Sharmeena Begum makes no secret of her continued support for terrorism. 

Her whereabouts since she left Britain were unknown until 2013, when she was tracked down by a BBC podcast and found to be actively fundraising for ISIS. 

It is unclear how much money she has raised for ISIS in total, but one Bitcoin account showed 29 transactions with deposits totalling $3,000 (£2,450). 

When confronted online about why she was raising money for terrorists, Sharmeena claimed she was ‘simply feeding and clothing women and children who are poor’.

A commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces warned such fundraising attempts were helping ISIS to reassemble.

In a series of online messages with an undercover journalist, Sharmeena hit out at her former friend Shamima Begum, branding her a ‘non-believer’.

Asked by the BBC if she regretted joining the terror group, Sharmeena avoided the question – saying only that she did not want to return to Britain and be sent to jail.

Two other named British jihadi brides who are thought to remain alive are Reema and Zara Iqbal, from Canning Town. 

The sisters, who have five sons between them and have both been widowed, were found living in Al-Hol in 2021. 

Reports in 2019 said the pair had been stripped of their British citizenship after marrying into a terror cell linked to the execution of western hostages.

Their parents are originally from Pakistan, meaning the Home Office could suggest they were eligible to apply for Pakistani citizenship so would not be left stateless.

Maya Foa, executive director of Reprieve, has called for ‘British families’ in Syrian detention camps to be repatriated. 

‘There’s an obvious solution that the US and other allies have been pushing for years: repatriate all the British families in North East Syria, close the detention camps, and prosecute the adults where appropriate,’ she said.

‘This is what the Kurdish and Syrian authorities want, and it’s best for local, global and British security. The UK Government’s refusal to act can only be for political reasons – it makes absolutely no sense as a security policy and is a moral travesty.’ 

A Home Office spokesman said: ‘Shamima Begum had her British citizenship removed, as upheld at court, which we support. She therefore has no right to return to the UK.

‘Our priority remains maintaining the safety and security of the UK and we will robustly defend any decision made to do so.’