ISIS bride Shamima Begum has said she blames her family for plastering her face all over social media after she ran away to join the terrorist organisation.
The young woman has criticised her family for publicising her disappearance after she ran away from the UK in February 2015 as a teenager to join the notorious group of violent Islamist extremists.
The now 23-year-old woman, who had three children who all died, admitted she didn’t want to blame her family but felt the responsibility lay with them and also pointed the finger at the media.
She said: “I don't want to blame my family but they are in a way responsible for putting me all over the media.
“But I don't think they knew how far it would go and how big it would become. I blame the media for obsessing over my friends and I so much.”
Speaking on the BBC ’s I’m Not a Monster podcast, to journalist Joshua Baker, she insisted that this media coverage was responsible for anger she received as well.
Begum said she didn’t think the UK held anger towards her, but towards ISIS “but when they think of ISIS they think of me because I’ve been put on the media so much.
“What is there to obsess over? We went to ISIS and that was it. It was over. What more was there to say? They wanted to continue the story because it was the story.”
Discussing the day she left, Begum told journalist Joshua Baker: “I woke up early in the morning. Like really early. Like 5-6 o'clock because the flight left at 12 o’clock and we wanted to be there early.
“It was during the holiday so I said I had extra classes to go to. I had my GCSE’s coming up and my mum believed me. She walked me to the bus stop … I just said bye to her and got on the bus and left.”
She confirmed ISIS had instructed her on her journey out of the UK and described feeling “kind of relieved” knowing she might never see the UK again.
Begum went on to add that her and her friends looked up other ISIS members online who might help them with their journey.
Before they left she recalled she stocked up on chocolate bars she wouldn’t be able to get abroad - especially “mint chocolate”.
But even once abroad, the young woman described how she spoke to her parents and family after fleeing from them.
She said: “The first time I called my mum she was just crying. I felt like she was trying to make me feel guilty.
“I don't know, maybe it was just emotions but I just didn't say anything to her I let her cry. I just kept telling her I was ok.”
She admitted that her mum had asked her to come home but that she had said “no”.
Begum said: “I was not committed [to being with ISIS] but I just didn't want to give her false hope because I didn't think I could leave.”
