Jeremy Corbyn says Shamima Begum 'should be allowed back to Britain' for 'support she needs' please log in to view this image Shamima Begum Credit: ITV Gareth Davies 21 February 2019 • 3:03pm Follow Gareth Davies Follow the topics within this article Jeremy Corbyn has weighed in for the first time on Shamima Begum being stripped of her British citizenship by insisting she not only has a right to remain in Britain but that she deserves "support". Home Secretary Sajid Javid revoked the jihadi bride's passport after the 19-year-old from London fled to Syria aged 15 and married an Islamic State terrorist. After four years in the Middle East, she said she wanted to return to the UK to raise her son, who was born in a refugee camp in northeastern Syria on Sunday. This was blocked by the Home Office this week, who stripped her of her British citizenship, a decision the Labour leader described as a "very extreme manoeuvre". He told ITV News: "She was born in Britain, she has that right to remain in Britain and obviously a lot of questions she has to answer but also some support that she needs." "She obviously has, in my view, a right to return to Britain. On that return she must face a lot of questions about everything she's done. And at that point any action may or may not be taken." He then tore into Mr Javid, saying: "The idea of stripping anyone of their citizenship when they're born in Britain is a very extreme manoeuvre. "Indeed, I question the right of the Home Secretary to have these powers when the original law was brought in by Theresa May when she was Home Secretary." International law forbids nations from making people stateless by revoking their only citizenship, but The Telegraph understands that the Home Office made the decision to revoke Begum's British citizenship based on Bangladeshi law. There, until the age of 21, it is understood the Isil bride automatically retains dual nationality due to the fact her parents are both from the country. At the age of 21, a child born to Bangladeshi parents has the right to waive their right to dual nationality, but not before. The complication lies in how she would be able to get to Bangladesh - where it is understood her father is currently living - and how she proves that she is Shamima Begum. The teenager has never visited the country and does not have a Bangladeshi passport. Her old British passport is invalid due to her citizenship being revoked and she has previously said she used her sister's passport to travel to Syria back in 2015. One possible option for her would be to travel to Turkey via the notoriously penetrable border with Syria and present herself to the Bangladeshi embassy. But officials in Dhaka may well appeal the Home Office's decision to make Begum their responsibility, insisting that she has never even been to the country. Begum was one of three schoolgirls, along with Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase, from Bethnal Green Academy who left the UK in February 2015. She married an Isil fighter and on Sunday have birth to her third child at a refugee camp in northeastern Syria. Her first two children died. Begum's family has pleaded for the 19-year-old to be shown mercy and to be allowed to return to east London. She has shown no remorse for her actions, even justifying the Manchester Arena bombing likening it to air strikes in Syria.
I certainly dont agree with his comments that's for sure. I dont think we should let her back in especially after we so easily let the others who carried out atrocities in despite awareness of them.
She asks for 'mercy', a bit rich considering the 'mercy' IS showed anyone who crossed their path. She's gone from having 'no regrets' and 'a good time' to wanting to go on a 'deradicalisation course' in the space of a week or so. How can anyone trust someone like that? To give the baby to her family to raise is ludicrous as they haven't done much of a job with her have they?...
Corbyn offers support and succour to an Islamic terrorist. More of the same. What would be new is if she was Jewish
Yes, I heard Mogg's QT quote and I have to say I agreed with him. She is a British citizen and, although I wouldn't welcome her, we should take her back in my opinion. Of course, if she has broken any laws, she should face the consequences.
I think we will find that all returnees learn their lines to assist their efforts to be allowed back scot free and without any consequences. While not publicising it, if I were a journalist or HO official, I would want to know a which point they saw the light - there is something very unsavoury about converts who speak about mistakes, remorse and mercy only when their comfortable happy life style in Utopia has come to an end. The baby is in a different position though - entirely innocent. However there must be many Muslim childless couples both in the UK and across the World with whom the baby could be placed for adoption subject of course to proper suitability checks being put in place. Now that really wold be a suitable question to put to her. Is she concerned enough about the safety of her child to give up her rights as the natural mother if that was the best and safest outcome for the baby?
I see Abu Hamza's son wishes to return to the UK from his Jihad in Syria, no doubt Jezza will be keen to invite him over for a cup of tea and an anti-Israeli sing-song...
Apologies for the delayed reply. I could not respond over the last few days. The point in all this is that making death threats and abuse of any elected politician and their leader failing to support them and condemn those meting out such treatment is completely unacceptable makes the leader unfit to hold that position. We seem to have moved away (judging your subsequent posts as well as those of others) to a view that it is more acceptable or as you put it understandable to do so if the justification is that the victim is Zionist or pro-Israel. It is not acceptable in any circumstances. Since when has membership of Labour friends of Israel become synonymous with support for Zionist extremism or the repression of Palestinians. Google it and see who else is a member within the Labour party and also what LFI's stance to Palestine and its co-existence with Israel actually is before you make another such generalisation in order to avoid criticising Corbyn. Since when has it become acceptable to deny the right of Israel to exist at all. Finally if none of that persuades you, point out one single post by one of the new Independents and other Labour MPs where they have condoned or given their support for the mistreatment of Palestinians by the Jewish state It goes without saying that the treatment meted out to Diane Abbott is equally deplorable, She is entitled to some meaty criticism on internet forums but whatever we think of her as a politician and a person she should not have to endure abuse and death threats made to her personally.
The first thing Corbyn said when Sky interviewed him in a Brussels corridor was that she and other family of ISIS fighters who are British passport holders, should be brought back to the UK for questioning and possible prosection, support as necessary. He repeated they should be questioned throughout his interview, but naturally you leave that out. Corbyn is dead right. Eventually these people will need to be returned to their own countries for questioning, and prosecution if necessary. Once the Kurds can no longer support their increasing numbers in the camp they are in, the other alternatives are presumably that they are set free, which would probably be letting some very dangerous terrorists go free, left to starve to death or be executed. Even Trump has said they will need to be sent back to their own Countries for questioning/ prosecution when necessary. It looks to me like something the UN should be resolving.
You seem to be conflating a few issues here and attributing beliefs and opinions to me personally that I just don't hold. Firstly, I abhor racism of all kinds (including anti-Semitism) and frankly just don't understand it. It's illogical. I also wouldn't deny the state of Israel's right to exist. It must be valid, though, to criticise (without resorting to threats or abuse) someone's political views or the people they associate with and support. These are choices, race is not. I had been pretty much unaware that the LFI even existed before these MPs quit the party, but I did take the trouble to look it up the other day and would admit to being a little surprised at how big a group it is. I didn't (and wouldn't) say that membership of this group is synonymous with support for repression of Palestinians, but unless they speak out strongly against it, it could be seen as tacit acceptance, couldn't it? Maybe they do speak out, I really don't know. My use of the word 'understandably' when describing why Joan Ryan might be unpopular was a little lazy and perhaps gave the wrong impression, but I do question why there should be a 'Labour Friends of Israel' group at all. Calling yourselves 'friends' of a state that regularly does repress and mistreat Palestinians is likely to attract opprobrium isn't it? Why not a 'Labour Group for Peace and Co-Operation in the Middle East'?
Don't think I've conflated anything here at all. You have repeatedly refused to criticise Corbyn on this subject and raised the red herring that opposition to Zionism is different to anti-semitism. Before I go any further I agree with you. However in doing so you have come very close at times to excusing or providing a convenient jusitfication for his lack of leadership in this issue by relabelling it as opposition to Zionism or anti-Israel. Your previous post did not refer to Israeli repression of Palestinians and was limited to a statement that Joan Ryan was pro-Israel (the state) and that her membership of LFI might make her understandably unpopular in some quarters. It would have been better if you had said that such a view would be misinformed and ignorant and that you thought the abuse she and others had received was deplorable. Let's not get drawn too deeply on Palestine. Israel does have a recent history of being the oppressor but that reaction is as understandable to me given the history of the malevolence of their Arab neighbours towards the Jewish state ever since it was created, as your understanding of why Jews come in for a lot of vitriol from those who are on the political left. I do not condone Israel's conduct in Palestine for one minute - it has on occasions been abhorrent but equally I am not ready or willing to condone the many terrorist atrocities committed in the name of the Palestinian cause against Jews without even one word of censure. It's difficult to tell conclusively which is the chicken and which is egg given that even before the wars of the 90s Israelis living even within the pre-67 borders were being bombarded by up to 20/30 shells a day Also let's not forget that the creation of Israel was supported by the West and not vetoed by the Soviet Union no doubt due to the guilt felt in the post-War years and as usual without any real effort to use diplomatic channels, Aid and an effort to assist its neighbours to accept the return of the Jews to a homeland they had been forced to flee by the hatred of their neighbours. The Arab world alone with its untold Oil wealth had 40 years in which to resolve that problem but chose to let it fester unresolved. yet they always found the money to wage wars every 5 years or so to try to destroy Israel. So let's be a little less black and white about it. A bit more acknowledgement of the multiple shades of grey and nuance would not go amiss. I agree about the need for a group, preferably non-partisan, to promote Peace and Co-Operation in the Middle East and other unresolved flashpoints such as Serbia and Kosovo but that will never succeed unless justice and fairness is afforded to all sides in those conflicts. Instead one repeatedly sees the powers wading in on one side or the other. Whether they are seen as the guys who wear the white hats or the baddies should not be judged simply on the basis of where our political interest lie and who can afford to buy our arms. Finally please don't take any of what I 've said above as a suggestion or indication that I believe you or Stainsey are racist at all. I don't. I would just like a bit more balance from time to time.
More balance, less black and white, more acknowledgement of multiple shades of grey and nuance. Does 'Friends of Israel' suggest any of these things? Seems a bit one-sided to me. My defence of Corbyn is against accusations that he himself is anti-Semitic. I don't believe that he is. There is undoubtedly anti-Semitism from some in the Labour party though, and it needs to be rooted out. This is where I would certainly criticise Corbyn - for his poor handling of the issue and for allowing it to drag on as it has. I would much rather his supporters in the party were focused a bit less on the Middle East and a bit more on domestic issues and the desperate need to get rid of this far-right government.
What happens when she is questioned under caution and answers "no comment" to every question? All the evidence against her is in Syria, and the Crown Prosecution Service won't have access to it. The law of treason is not fit for purpose for this type of terrorist, and changes should be made going forward. Personally, I'd look into funding the Kurds in their prosecution of her in situ. If she's found guilty, we would probably have to take her back to serve her sentence here.
The countries in green do not recognise Israel’s right to exist, to which can be added organisations like Hamas, Al Queda and ISIS. Good luck with ‘peace and reconciliation in the Middle East’ until some Arab countries change their position. None of these are interested in the only viable answer, a two state solution (which Labour Friends of Israel also supports, as do the Labour Friends of Palestine). Over the years a variety of Israeli governments have implemented vile and in my view counter productive policies against the Palestinians (the result has been Hamas). The current Israeli Government is especially odious. However, it is the only government in the region which can actually be voted out of power by the (Jewish and Palestinian) citizens of Israel (there are Palestinian MPs in the Israeli Parliament). Israeli policy actually can be influenced by international opinion, but as long as they perceive they face an existential threat they will take extreme measures to protect themselves. While I can deplore specific actions of the Israeli State in the overall context I would class myself as a friend of Israel.