Sharmeena Begum

Sharmeena Begum (born 1999) is a British woman who left the United Kingdom to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria in December 2014 and became an ISIL bride. Two months later, in February 2015, her school friends Amira Abase, Shamima Begum, and Kadiza Sultana (who collectively became known as the Bethnal Green trio) joined her in Syria. Begum is one of the youngest British teenagers to join ISIL.

Begum was tracked down by the BBC in 2023, and was living in Syria under a different identity.

Background

Begum was born to Shahnaz Begum and Mohammad Uddin, who are of Bangladeshi origin. At the time of her father's remarriage, she lived with her grandmother.

Members of Begum's family were certain that she was targeted for recruitment by a group known as the Sisters Forum within the Islamic Forum of Europe, which met at an east London mosque.

Joining ISIL Begum became increasingly interested in religious themes after her mother died, although her family had previously described her as non-religious. Two weeks after her departure, she reportedly called her father to tell him that she did not intend to return.

After his daughter's disappearance, Uddin told police about his suspicion that Begum might have been encouraged by Islamists and her three friends might also be at risk. The Metropolitan Police subsequently approached the three girls to question them about their friend. Since they were minors, they gave them letters to give to their parents to give permission for the questioning. The letters were not passed along, and the police did not follow up.

Begum was joined two months after her departure by her three friends from Bethnal Green Academy, who had also made their way to Syria via Turkey. They reportedly met in Raqqa.