A so-called ‘ISIS bride’, who claims childbirth snapped her out of supporting the terrorist group, has been denied bail by a judge concerned she maintains extremist views.
After spending years in a Syrian refugee camp, Zeinab Ahmad was charged with slavery offences and taken into custody upon her return to Australia with other family members of former Islamic State fighters in May.
She applied for release in the Victorian Supreme Court, arguing she did not pose a risk to the safety of others.
But the young mother, 31, could not convince Justice James Elliott she had demonstrated exceptional circumstances and had abandoned extremist beliefs.
‘(Her) extreme ideology in the past coupled with extreme brutality (of IS) means any related conduct, including indirectly influencing others is potentially catastrophic,’ he said on Wednesday.
‘I accept the risk is low, however it is real.’
Ahmad beamed into court via video link wearing a blue headscarf and stared straight ahead as the decision was handed down.
Her uncle Abraham Abbas, who was prepared to put forward $75,000 as a surety, labelled the decision ‘unfair’ as he left the courtroom.
A so-called ‘ISIS bride’, who claims childbirth snapped her out of supporting the terrorist group, has been denied bail by a judge concerned she maintains extremist views
Ahmad had moved to Syria with her family and her first husband in 2015 before he was killed in a drone strike while fighting for IS.
She re-married twice.
Police allege her father Mohammad bought a teenage girl as a slave in 2017 for $US10,000 (about $13,000 at the time).
The girl was allegedly raped and beaten repeatedly by Mohammad, including an incident where she was hit and dragged down two flights of stairs by the hair.
She reported screaming loudly during the incidents so Ahmad and the other family members would have known what was happening.
Ahmad is not alleged to have assaulted the girl.
But the teen claims she was ‘treated very badly’, and Ahmad would order her around the house and not let her leave voluntarily.
Between 2015 and 2017, the accused made social media posts allegedly calling for violence against non-believers and the destruction of the US and its allies.
Her uncle Abraham Abbas, who was prepared to put forward $75,000 as a surety, labelled the decision ‘unfair’ as he left the courtroom
Since the birth of her daughter in 2019, defence barrister Julie Condon KC argued Ahmad had developed an opposition to extremist ideology.
There have been ‘no public declarations of support’ for IS or their extremist ideology since February 2017, she said.
Prosecutor Andrew Sprague said Ahmad continued to pose an unacceptable risk due to her previous support for her husband’s martyrdom and endorsing those activities.
‘Whilst there’s a period of time since those Facebook posts that doesn’t … demonstrate … the absence of ongoing ideology,’ he said.
Her mother Kawsar, also facing slavery charges, was granted bail in June.
While the impact of Ahmad’s separation from her young daughter was ‘extremely unfortunate’, Justice Elliott said this was ameliorated by the child’s ability to live with her grandmother.
