Many words have been spilled in discussions over whether Shamima Begum and her newborn child should, or should not, be allowed to return to UK to face justice (Let Begum’s case be a turning point, 19 February). We indubitably have a responsibility for her and can’t just remove her citizenship, though many would, no doubt, like to.
However, in all of this debate, I have read little of what the Syrian and Iraqi people want. Begum, groomed or not, coerced or not (and she has stated she was unfazed by the atrocities she witnessed), was a part of a brutal, disgusting regime that terrified and murdered with impunity. Is she culpable of any crime in Syria or Iraq? British citizenship does not provide protection against prosecution for crimes committed abroad and so, if she has committed any crime in those countries, she should be tried there first.
Only when that is settled should there be any discussion over whether or how she returns to the UK.
Simon Diggins
Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire
• Your editorial says Shamima Begum and her fellow pupils were “children” when they left for Syria aged 15 to join Islamic state (Shamima Begum was a jihadi bride at 15. Now she needs to come home, 15 February). How does that sympathetic view square with the support the Guardian has consistently given for votes at 16? Do young people magically transform from immature teenager into responsible adult capable of determining which party wins elections once they cross the threshold from 15 years 11 months to 16?
And are we not supposed to believe that the children who chose to miss school last Friday in protest against climate change – many of them 15 or under – are mature enough to make important and rational judgments? You cannot have it both ways.
Rhys David
St Albans
• The arguments about Shamima Begum go back and forth. Bring her back on humanitarian grounds? Keep her out on security grounds?
Both reactions miss the point. She should be brought back because she is our responsibility. The same applies to British males who went out to fight with IS. Stripping them of citizenship solves nothing; we shouldn’t be dumping our home-grown terrorists on other countries. We should take responsibility for these people. Assess them. Rehabilitate them if possible. Prevent them from doing further harm if necessary.
Peter Nickol
Exeter
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