Begum said she felt she could help the government in the fight against extremism in the UK
Shamima Begum has said that Boris Johnson “clearly” doesn’t know what he’s doing in the fight against extremism, in an extraordinary interview with Good Morning Britain.
Speaking to Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid on the morning news show this morning (Wednesday), Begum also offered to help the government and the prime minister in the fight against terrorism.
Asked by Madeley what her message to the PM would be, Begum, who fled the UK at the age of 15 to join ISIS in Syria, said: “I want to say that you [Boris Johnson] are clearly struggling with extremism and terrorism in your country and I want to help with that, telling you my own experience with these extremists.
“What they say, how they persuade people to do what they do and to come to places like Syria.
“I think I could very much help you in your fight against terrorism, because you clearly don’t know what you’re doing.”
You can watch the clip from the interview below.
EXCLUSIVE: ‘I think I could very much help you in your fight against terrorism because you clearly don’t know what you’re doing.’
Shamima Begum makes a plea to Boris Johnson to let her return to the UK. pic.twitter.com/8XAIsCofhy
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 15, 2021
In a wide-ranging interview, the 22-year-old also claimed she would be given the death penalty if she returned to Bangladesh, and apologised to everyone impacted by ISIS in the UK. She added that she would “rather die” than return to the terrorist group, and that she herself has “lived in fear of ISIS and lost loved ones” because of their actions.
In 2015, Begum left the UK with two friends to travel to Syria and join ISIS, where she married and had three children, all of whom died at a young age.
Four years later though, she was found at a Syrian refugee camp and announced her intention to return to the UK, sparking debate about how the UK handles return extremists. The government revoked her British citizenship on security grounds and said she would never return to the country.
But the Court of Appeal ruled that Begum should be allowed to return to the UK to be able to properly fight her case. In February this year, the Supreme Court ruled that the government was entitled to prevent Begum from returning, upholding her ban from the UK.
The battle over her citizenship has been paused until she can find a way of taking part in legal proceedings.
Later on GMB, the Home Secretary who revoked her British citizenship, Sajid Javid, said it was “absolutely the right decision” to do so, and was both “morally and legally correct.”
Related links:
- Richard Madeley goes full Partridge on Shamima Begum and Hitler Youth
- Shamima Begum asks UK for ‘second chance’ in new documentary
- Shamima Begum’s ex-lawyer facing investigation for Taliban tweet
