Jihadi bride Shamima Begum shows off diamante nose-stud and union jack cushion in Syrian camp


Jihadi bride Shamima Begum shows off her diamante nose-stud and union jack cushion as she moans how her ‘life fell apart’ when she was stripped of UK citizenship

  • Former east London schoolgirl Shamima Begum was stripped of UK citizenship
  • She now lives in a makeshift tent in the al-Roj refugee camp in Northern Syria
  • The 20-year-old was pictured for the first time without her usual black burqa 
  • Miss Begum shares the tent with US-Canadian citizen Kimberly Polman 

Wearing a maroon head scarf, jeans and a diamante nose stud, Shamima Begum could be sitting in a living room in England.

The former London schoolgirl, now 20, has furnished her makeshift tent in al-Roj camp in Northern Syria and decorated it for Valentine’s Day.

She was pictured for the first time without her usual black burqa, which has been banned in the camp as part of attempts at de-radicalising the women and children.

Her tent, which she shares with US-Canadian citizen Kimberly Polman, has heating, electricity, satellite TV and cooking appliances. The women have decorated it with hearts and fairy lights for Valentine’s Day.

They have made a small sofa from blankets given to them by the UN and Miss Begum has a knitted cushion with the UK flag, made for her by her roommate.

The tent has poems about love and hangings with inspirational quotes.

Shamima Begum pictured for the first time without her usual black burqa, which has been banned in the camp as part of attempts at de-radicalising the women and children

Shamima Begum pictured for the first time without her usual black burqa, which has been banned in the camp as part of attempts at de-radicalising the women and children

The tent where Shamima Begum and her roommate Kimberly Polman live. It has heating, electricity, satellite TV and cooking appliances

The tent where Shamima Begum and her roommate Kimberly Polman live. It has heating, electricity, satellite TV and cooking appliances

The tent where Shamima Begum and her roommate Kimberly Polman live. It has heating, electricity, satellite TV and cooking appliances

Begum was stripped of her UK citizenship by former home secretary Sajid Javid after she left the UK with two school friends Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase five years ago at the age of 15 to join Islamic State in Syria.

Ten days after arriving, she married Yago Riedijk, a Dutch convert to Islam who was 23 years old at the time.

Riedijk is being held at a Kurdish detention centre in northeastern Syria. Begum gave birth to their son in the refugee camp last year. The child later died, as had her previous two children.

The 20-year-old was dealt a blow this month when she lost the first stage of her appeal against the Government’s decision to remove her citizenship.   

She told the American network ABC News that her ‘whole world fell apart’ when she was stripped of her citizenship last year.

A tribunal ruled she could be stripped of her citizenship because she had not been left stateless. 

Britain has refused to take back dozens of British women and children from Syria out of fear they would present a security risk back in the UK.

Normal life: Shamima Begum (right) now wears a maroon headscarf. She is pictured alongside her Canadian roommate Kimberly Polman (centre)

Normal life: Shamima Begum (right) now wears a maroon headscarf. She is pictured alongside her Canadian roommate Kimberly Polman (centre)

Normal life: Shamima Begum (right) now wears a maroon headscarf. She is pictured alongside her Canadian roommate Kimberly Polman (centre) 

But the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) said Begum could however turn to Bangladesh for citizenship, where her father is from.

She said: ‘When my citizenship got rejected, I felt like my whole world fell apart right in front of me.

‘You know, especially the way I was told. I wasn’t even told by a government official. I was told by journalists.’

She added: ‘I thought I would be a bit different because I had not done anything wrong before I came to Isis.’

Asked about her previous comments to the Times where she appeared unrepentant after being found in Al-Hawl camp after fleeing the village of Baghuz, she said she was ‘afraid for my life’.

She said: ‘I had just come into the camp. I had just given birth. I was hearing all these stories about women threatening other women, you know, folk uncovering their faces or speaking to men or doing interviews, or anything like that.

‘I just was afraid for my life.’