Bring Me Home: (Pt 1) Shamima Begum's story
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 23 November 2020
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It was a chance meeting in a Syrian camp. A veteran war reporter, a young mother, and an interview that polarised a nation. Shamima Begum was just 15 years old when she and two of her school friends from Bethnal Green left Britain to join Islamic State. Five years later, with her fate still hanging in the balance, the Supreme Court will this week decide whether she can return to the UK to challenge the deprivation of her citizenship. This episode of the Stories of our Times podcast will form part of a week-long series. We'll explore: what should happen to British nationals who left to join Islamic State, and do we have a responsibility to bring them back?
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Guests:
Anthony Loyd, Foreign Correspondent, The Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Clips used: BBC, ITV, Sky, Channel 4.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | My name is Shema Begum. |
| 0:07.0 | And where are you from Shema Begum? |
| 0:10.0 | And where are you from Shemima? |
| 0:12.0 | I'm from the UK. |
| 0:14.0 | You're one of the best more green girls, right? |
| 0:17.0 | Yes, I'm a best of green girls. |
| 0:19.0 | It was a chance meeting in a Syrian camp, a veteran war reporter and a heavily pregnant young woman. |
| 0:27.6 | It was the interview that polarized a nation. |
| 0:31.1 | Mr Speaker, the House will have also seen the comments of Shema Begum quite simply if you back terror, |
| 0:38.8 | there must be consequences. |
| 0:41.8 | Shemima Begum was just 15 years old when she and two of her school friends from Bethnal Green left |
| 0:48.2 | Britain to join Islamic State. |
| 0:51.6 | Five years later, with her fate still hanging in the balance, the Supreme Court will |
| 0:56.4 | this week decide whether the government was right to strip her of her citizenship. |
| 1:01.6 | Whatever else had happened, this isn't exculpator, |
| 1:04.0 | it was a young pregnant woman wanting help, |
| 1:06.0 | and a young British woman now I had two. |
| 1:09.0 | Within a very short space of time, |
| 1:11.0 | she had a British citizenship removed, her baby was dead, she was a national hate figure. |
| 1:17.0 | And you have to take my responsibility in that. |
| 1:20.0 | In a week long series we look at what should happen to the British nationals who went to join Islamic State. |
| 1:27.0 | Do we have a responsibility to bring them back? |
... |
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