Shamima Begum, the British national who left the UK as a schoolgirl to join ISIL in Syria, has faced another setback in her efforts to regain her British citizenship. The Court of Appeal in London has ruled that the decision to strip Begum of her citizenship was lawful. The court acknowledged that while the move may seem harsh, it also pointed out that Begum might be considered "the author of her own misfortune."

Born and raised in east London, Begum traveled to Syria with two other schoolgirls, Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase, with Sultana reportedly killed in an explosion and Abase's fate unknown. Despite claims that she was trafficked to Syria and was a minor at the time, government lawyers argued that Begum was aware of her actions.

Begum's British citizenship was revoked on national security grounds in 2019 when she was found in a Syrian refugee camp. She has since made appeals to return to the UK, but Bangladesh, her parents' home country, has stated that she will not be granted citizenship.

Currently residing in the al-Roj detention camp in northeastern Syria, 24-year-old Begum remains effectively stateless after being stripped of her British citizenship at 19 years old. The court's ruling suggests that she may have to stay in Syria for the foreseeable future.