Withdrawing the British citizenship without warning and the fate of British families in northeast Syria
November 27, 2021, 12:48 pm

Withdrawing the British citizenship without warning and the fate of British families in northeast Syria

Zara saleh

Recently, the UK government is preparing a draft bill that allows the Home Office to strip citizenship from someone without warning them under various circumstances. Such circumstances could be in the interests of "national security" or maybe for other "public interests" or because of the threats of terrorism. That means people who are holding British citizenship will not be notified that they have been stripped from their citizenship according to the new bill.

Activists and human rights organisations have been alarmed that the new bill is now pushing for more power to do without notifying anyone. In other words, British citizenship is unsecure and in danger even to those born in the UK. Added to that, the UK government has been using their power to remove more than 100 citizenship in 2017. Andrew Mitchell, the Conservative MP who is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) also has expressed his critics on such a new bill and said, "We need to take responsibility for these people and not use citizenship as a device". On the other hand, by drafting such a new bill, the UK government is seeking to tackle and prevent the radicalisation and extremism or people who had connections with ISIS and returned from Syria and Iraq.

The new draft bill, definitely, will affect all British family’s children, and women who live in northeast Syria and become stateless. For instance, the Home Office in the UK has already refused to recognise British people who had links with ISIS, like Shamima Begum. In February 2019, Shamima has lost her citizenship after she fled London and joined ISIS in Syria, and became IS bride; and now she still lives in Roj camp-prison in northeast Syria under the Kurdish authorities. The UK government refused to bring back these British citizens since they had joined ISIS like many other European countries.

According to official resources, nearly 900 UK citizens have been joining the so-called Islamic State in Syria, and some of them had returned back, while others have been killed, but there are about 20 British families still detained in Al-Hull and Roj camp in northeast Syria that controlled by the Kurdish authorities after defeating and smashing ISIS. However, the Kurdish forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were the only trustworthy ally on the ground with the international coalition against ISIS that has been behind the defeat of the so-called IS caliphate in Syria.

Now, the Kurdish self-administration in northeast Syria is still taking all responsibility for more than 70,000 ISIS fighters and families in the Al-Hull camp without any support, and even most of the European countries still refuse to return back their citizens and do not even ask about their citizens. Added to that, ISIS family’s children in both camps, Al-Hull and Roj, are living in very poor conditions with no medical care and schooling and consequently are a project brainwashed by radical IS mothers. In such an ideological and radical environment, these children will be definitely radicalised and become ISIS fighters in the future, and that is why the European countries including UK should take their responsibility to find out a right solution for their citizens in northeast Syria.

BY: Zara Saleh

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”