Today the so-called Islamic State (IS) stands on the verge of total defeat in Syria. Once ruling over vast swathes of land in both Iraq and Syria, it’s territory has now been reduced to only a few hundred square feet in a village named Baghouz near the Iraq-Syria border. Regardless, lives continue to be destroyed in the conflict between the self-styled Caliphate and Western powers. Britain has revoked the citizenship of two more women who married into the militant group. 30-year old Reema Iqbal and her sister 28-year old Zara — who are of Pakistani heritage — had fled London to join the group in Syria back in 2013. The two sisters are mothers to five boys under the age of eight, who like their mothers, could soon find themselves without any country to call home. This is despite the fact that according to British law, a person’s citizenship cannot be revoked if it would make them stateless. Prior to this, 19-year old Shamima Begum’s citizenship had also been revoked by the British government. She was 15 when she had left Britain to marry an IS fighter. She is of Bangladeshi descent. This is hardly a simple issue. IS has been involved in numerous atrocities around the world and especially in the Middle East; including suicide bomb attacks on civilians, genocide, rape and sex slavery as well as brutish executions of captured civilians and enemy combatants. Therefore, the group’s sympathisers and supporters could still continue to pose a threat. However, it must be understood that children who have been caught in the middle of the entire conflict are blameless. Furthermore, it should also be noted that corresponding with and joining this notorious terror outfit was a crime committed by these British citizens while they were on British territory. Therefore, there is no reason why these women can’t be given prison sentences in British jails. Shamima Begum’s case also stands out here as she was a minor at the time she joined IS. Depriving these three women of their citizenship and making them the international community’s problem essentially amounts to Britain washing its hands of its own responsibility. This also feeds into IS-propaganda which states that Muslims will never be considered full citizens of western democracies. As such, they must be tried in British courts and incarcerated in British prisons. Their children must also be looked after by the British state. * Published in Daily Times, March 12th 2019.