LONDON: Shamima Begum has admitted she had joined a terror group but said she is “much more than Daesh”.
Giving the first full account of her flight to Syria, she told the BBC podcast “The Shamima Begum Story” that she was “relieved” to be out of the UK and said that when she left, she expected will never come back.
Begum said she was aware that the public now viewed her “as a threat, as a risk, as a potential threat to them, to their safety, to their way of life.”
But he said: “I am not the person they think I am.”
Now the 23-year-old – who had three children in Syria, all of whom died – is in a legal battle with the British government to try to restore her citizenship so she can return to London.
The tribunal’s hearing focused on whether she was a victim of trafficking for sexual exploitation or a committed Daesh volunteer who poses a threat to the UK.
Acknowledging that the public would see her as a potential threat if she were to return, Begum said she was “not a bad person” and blamed the media for her portrayal. She said: “I’m so much more than what I’m doing.”
Does she understand the anger of the society towards her? “Yeah, I understand,” she said.
“But I don’t think it’s really towards me. I think it’s towards Daesh. When they think of Daesh they think of me because I’ve been put on the media a lot.
Challenging that the media coverage was a result of his decision to join Daesh, he said: “But what was the passion? We went to Daesh, that was it, it’s over, it’s over and done.” What more is there to say?
“They just wanted to continue the story because it was a story, it was a bigger story.”
Asked if she accepted that she was involved in a terror group, she said: “Yes, I did.”
Former Children’s Minister Tim Lawton told the BBC it was still unclear why Begum joined Daesh as a teenager and “what forces brainwashed her”, but added that when she first went missing, So public sympathy for him had rapidly turned to anger.
He added that many people were justifiably suspecting that she was now “acting” as if she was “in East London” in order to “transform from a heavily veiled Muslim young woman into a woman wearing Western clothing”. Lived as a typical British teenager.”
He added: “I think most people would say that, frankly, we owe her nothing. She got herself into this mess and clearly it’s up to her how she’s going to get out of it.”
According to Begum’s description, her and two other girls from Bethnal Green’s preparation to join Daesh in Raqqa included their own research as well as explicit instructions from members of the terrorist group. One of the girls later died and the other is believed to have been executed in Syria.
Begum said that “people were telling us online and as such, advising us on what to do and what not to do,” with “a long list of detailed instructions” including which cover story to use if caught. to do is included.
Tasnim Akkunji, a lawyer representing the girls’ families, told the BBC he searched their rooms after they fled, looking for receipts, phone bills, messages, emails and more.
Akunji, a criminal lawyer with 20 years of experience, said, “I’ve never seen evidence or information sifted through so thoroughly as these young teens managed to do themselves.” “They must have put a lot of trust in whoever they were talking to, to follow them, to follow their advice very, very carefully.”
He said that only a piece of paper was found from Begum’s house. It was a shopping list detailing items needed for a trip to the Daesh caliphate and how much they cost – a phone for £75 ($90), socks for £4, a taxi for £100 – a name or initials with one of the girls next to each.
Begum denied that the list was hers, saying that it had been left by Amira, one of the other girls.
“We tried so hard to clear our tracks and just one of us was an idiot,” she said.
Begum said she tried to pack lightly for the trip, although she was advised to “pack nice clothes so you can wear nice clothes for your husband,” referring to the fact that she had to fight with Daesh fighters. Was expected to get married.
While he showed sophistication in concealing his intention to join Daesh, other aspects of his plan betrayed the teenage fugitive’s age.
Begum said she had stocked up on chocolate bars she knew she would not be able to buy in Syria: “about 30” Mint Aero bars.
“You can find a lot in this country, but you can’t find mint chocolate,” she said.
A woman who went to school with Begum said she was “a ghost” who was quiet and lived in a small friendship group.
Begum says her family thought she was “weak to do something so insane” and “didn’t think in a million years” that she could be recruited by Daesh.
“I’ve always been a more reclusive person. That’s why it’s so hard the way my life has turned into all the media because I’m not someone who likes a lot of attention on me,” she told the BBC.