Thank you all so much for signing. 

Those of you who signed because you agree with the subject of this petition know this isn’t an easy or popular position. 

Easy is leaving Shamima in a Syrian refugee camp, washing our hands of her and acting surprised when the next teenager is groomed and joins a death cult.

More difficult is publicly supporting Shamima’s repatriation and acknowledging our country’s responsibility and brining her home to face justice and a deradicalisation programme.

We who have signed are not apologists for ISIS - they are a terrifying force of murderous violence and must be defeated and also face justice. 

We who have signed acknowledge that a 15-year-old is a child and a child can be groomed and brainwashed. 

Before Shamima’s case was highlighted in the press, more than 400 ISIS supporters have been allowed to return to the UK, briefly questioned and allowed home to their families. The fact that she spoke to a visiting journalist searching for her and the other Bethnal Green girls worked against her, and then one journalist after another sought her out for sound bites to feed the public outrage against her.

We do not need to make an example of a girl who made a terrible mistake and has paid a terrible price. We need to bring her home, put her through the justice system and find out what happened for her to believe the things she was fed.

I read this excellent article in the Guardian yesterday which I’d urge you to read and share: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/11/shamima-begum-cult-victim-isis

And please share this petition – we have reached 38,000 signatures but let’s get it to 100,000 so it can’t be ignored.

This is the right thing to do. 

Thank you