Shamima made the comments for a new documentary
Shamima Begum has asked the UK for a ‘second chance’, and has asked Brits to keep an ‘open mind’ when they think of the stories they’ve heard about her.
She claims the government and media have misrepresented her, and has said she was ‘young an naïve’ when she left the UK for Syria as a teenager.
Shamima has spoken with Sky as part of a new documentary called The Return: Life After ISIS.
She said:
When I was a teenager, I was so ungrateful, but I was young and naïve and I felt like I knew everything.
I felt like I was right and everyone else was wrong. I said I hated my mum and now I realise I love her and I feel most safe with her, and most loved with her.
I would say to the people of the UK, give me a second chance because I was still young when I left.
I just want them to put aside everything they’ve heard about me on the media and just have an open mind about why I left and who I am now as a person.
She also went on to say that lies have been perpetuated about her in the press, including that she was part of ISIS’ s morality police, which enforced strict rules.
She said:
It makes no sense how ISIS would let a 15-year-old with no Islamic knowledge work for hisbah when I don’t speak the language.
I didn’t really have any credentials or anything, so I don’t know why I’m being accused of this.
I think my government just wants to make me look bad and they couldn’t find anything so they just made it up.
The documentary focuses on a number of women who left their respective countries to live under ISIS. and arrives on Sky and NOW from 15 June.
