The UK’s hyper-scrutiny of Muslim women has a lot to answer for when it comes to Shamima Begum

The ‘condemn first, ask questions later’ approach in the British Muslim community and beyond is failing women and girls who desperately need support

Amid all of the conversation surrounding Shamima Begum and whether or not she should be allowed to return to the UK, I have my own unpopular opinion to throw into the mix: I believe Begum’s case has highlighted gaps in the fabric of our British Muslim community.

In 2014, the teenager was only the tender age of 15 when she left to join Isis. In my view, it seems as though our community has done a great disservice to her. As a community, we should have recognised the weaknesses in our society that Isis exploited. Where is our cohesion and sense of unity when our young people are being lured in by terrorists?

Although Begum’s actions went against both British and Islamic principles, I believe her actions demonstrate something deeper. It is not uncommon to see disenfranchised women and girls in my community. Some British Muslim factions are guilty of taking a superficial approach to women and girls with a hyper-focus on our bodies and how we present ourselves to the public, rather than what is going on internally.

As Muslim women, we are often policed on how we present ourselves. In the most culturally conservative families, young girls are subjected to harsh scrutiny and a disproportionate negative backlash over the smallest misdemeanours, pertaining to how we dress, speak or act in public.

Young British men and boys do not face the same scrutiny, which I believe means they’re less vulnerable to feelings of alienation in our community.

When it comes to Muslim women, there is a “condemn first, ask questions later” approach, whereby if you are seen to be acting out of cultural or religious norms, then you are immediately ostracised.

Growing up, I would see my female cousins routinely ignored in the home and in the dugsi (Islamic school). Young girls were often treated as decorative ornaments who were meant to be seen and not heard.

Some embraced the religion in order to gain greater acceptance whilst others rejected it altogether. There were few clubs, societies or gatherings that focused solely on women. The few that did often revolved around the many sins that a woman could, and often did, commit. In an ideal society, we would have more initiatives led by the local mosques and Islamic organisations that would delve deeper into mental health as well as any issues Muslim women and girls may face.

But as things stand, there is little being done by the British Muslim community to help us, especially when it comes to outreach programmes and peer mentoring. We need to have these initiatives normalised in our society.

In Begum’s case, there is a chance that if she had greater support from the British Muslim community, she could have been warned about how her actions were not permissible in Islam and also illegal according to British law. I cannot attest that this would have worked for Begum, but due to my observed experience about how young British Muslim girls are treated in our society, I would not be surprised if she wasn’t getting the support she needed when she made the choice to leave for Syria.

As well as enterprises to target British Muslim women and girls, my community also needs to recognise the need to reach out to the younger generation, both on platforms they understand and using language they can relate to.

Begum states she was lured in by the Isis’s glossy social media campaigns. It seems likely that the propaganda presented a perverted version of Islam and filled the gap that the British Muslim community should have already occupied with the correct doctrines and teachings.

Now imagine if the majority of local mosques were using social media and reaching out to the younger generation, but instead of feeding them terrorist propaganda like Isis, they were teaching them the correct principles of Islam alongside British values and contributing to creating a harmonious, workable society. I have no doubt that there are already cases of this happening in the UK, but we need an amplified and more collective approach.

Begum’s situation is just one more opportunity for the British Muslim community to rally around a young Muslim woman in need. We should listen to her plea to return to the UK and help rehabilitate her if she is eventually allowed back home.

As far as I’m concerned, I see her willingness to speak openly to British newspapers as a sign of her bravery. It demonstrates her commitment to being rehabilitated.

Begum was only a child when she left the UK. She was groomed and indoctrinated right under our noses and then brainwashed further during her time with Isis. Her actions should serve as a wakeup call to the authorities and the British Muslim community alike. We, all of us, will lose our youth if we don’t intervene.