Letters | Would the UK’s David Cameron take his own advice for Hong Kong?
- Readers discuss the British foreign secretary’s concern over Article 23 legislation, and the difference between young radicals from Hong Kong and the UK
Mark Peaker, The Peak
A tale of two kinds of young radicals
Shamima Begum left the United Kingdom for Syria in 2015 at the mere age of 15 to support Islamic State with two other girls, one of whom is thought to have been killed during conflict.
It can be surmised that when the youngsters left for Syria, they were hot-blooded and passionate about winning the war against the West. They would probably have refused to take heed of all appeals for them to think twice and head back to the UK immediately – much like our young radicals in Hong Kong, who also ignored appeals for them to stop committing illegal acts and come to their senses a few years ago.
Begum is now in a camp in Syria, after the defeat of Isis. She had three children, all of whom died. She is now living in desperate circumstances and unsuccessfully begging to return to the UK. Her political ideals and beliefs seem to have diminished, though I don’t know whether she is speaking from the bottom of her heart, or due to her present abject misery.