Young Towie fan mum leaves for Syria with toddler
Darshna Soni
Communities Editor
A young mother from Burton-Upon-Trent is the latest woman to leave the UK to join Islamic State militants in Syria – taking her 14-month-old toddler with her.
It is understood that Tareena Shakil told her family she was going on holiday to Spain with her son Zaheem.
But she then contacted her family to tell them she had in fact flown to Turkey and crossed the border into Syria.
Her father Mohammed told reporters they never suspected her intentions and described her as an ordinary young woman: “Tareena did drama and was in the Guides. She loved the Spice Girls and Towie,” Mr Shakil told the Sun.
He fears that his daughter and grandson are now in Raqqa, an Islamic State stronghold where militants have committed brutal atrocities. Mr Shakil said the toddler “shouldn’t be going through this”.
Romanticised idea
Tareena Shakil is one of a growing number of British women who have been drawn to Syria. They are not permitted to fight, but are given domestic roles.
Many young girls marry fighters within weeks of reaching the conflict zone. They often use social media to document their experiences.
“They are often drawn to a romanticised idea of the Islamic State, but when they get there the reality of their day-to-day lives can be very different,” Sasha Havlicek from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue told Channel 4 News.
Earlier this year, a 15-year-old schoolgirl from Bristol shocked her family by running off to join IS. Yusra Hussein’s family said they were deeply distressed and appealed for her to return.
Today it was announced that another British teenager, 17-year-old Jaffar Deghayes, has been killed fighting in Syria. His brother Abdullah also died fighting in Syria.
On a Facebook page under a different name, reported to be hers, Tareena Shakil follows the “Life of Mujahid” page on Facebook. A mujahid is another word for a jihadist.
The page features videos about the establishment of the Islamic State, fighting and propaganda.