shamima Begum has the right to challenge the government’s decision to deprive her of British citizenship. But she cannot exercise that right until the interior minister says she can, even if never. This appears to be at the heart of the Supreme Court decision that awarded the Home Office victory over its decision to ban the “jihadist bride” from entering Britain for “security” reasons.
In addition to legal issues, there are deeper political and moral issues. To refuse entry to Begum is not simply to keep it out of Britain. It is also to force another state or organization to take responsibility for it.
Begum’s parents came from Bangladesh. This, in the eyes of the Interior Ministry, makes her a citizen of Bangladesh (although Bangladesh denies this and insists she would refuse her entry). Why should moral responsibility for someone born and raised in Britain be transferred to another country just because their parents came from there?
Begum is in the al-Hawl camp, led by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), largely Kurds, who helped to destroy the Islamic State (Isis). Why should Britain expect the SDF to take responsibility for a British citizen who helped his monstrous enemy?
And then there is the issue of two-level citizenship. For any Briton whose parents were born in this country and who do not have dual citizenship, their citizenship is unconditional. For those who have parents born abroad or are entitled to another nationality (even if they have never set foot), their citizenship is conditional. This cannot be morally right.
Begum, of course, has to face his own moral responsibilities when joining Isis. She can do this in a trial. But as monstrous as her actions may have been, she remains someone with whom Britain has moral and legal obligations.
The debate about Shamima Begum is not simply about Begum itself. It is about the nature of citizenship and the meaning of moral responsibility. It is also about the extent to which we are willing to sacrifice moral obligations at the altar of political expediency.
• Kenan Malik is a columnist for the Observer