Australia: Woman Accused of Enslaving Yezidi Girl Has Not Renounced Islamic State Beliefs

Woman in the niqab (face veil) and abaya (long outer-garment) in Aleppo, Syria by Bernard Gagnon, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 | Jihad Watch

Federal prosecutors in Australia argued in a Melbourne court on Friday that Zeinab Ahmad, a 31-year-old woman charged with slavery-related crimes connected to the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, has not renounced her allegiance to the extremist group. Prosecutors strongly opposed her bid for bail, citing ongoing concerns about her ideological beliefs and potential risk to the community.

The case provides a rare insight into the legal and security challenges faced by Western countries in prosecuting citizens who travelled to territories once controlled by the Islamic State. Ahmad, who was repatriated from a Syrian detention camp last month, faces charges of crimes against humanity, including enslavement and the use of a slave.

Authorities allege that Ahmad's family held a Kurdish Ezidi (Yazidi) teenage girl captive in Raqqa during the peak of the Islamic State's rule. During the bail hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, Detective Senior Constable Marc Clendenning testified that Ahmad remained a significant risk because she had never disavowed support for IS.

According to ABC News reporter James Oaten, Clendenning told the court that no proposed bail conditions could adequately address the concerns surrounding Ahmad's ideology due to the many uncertainties regarding her beliefs.

Court proceedings, as reported by The Associated Press' Rod McGuirk, revealed allegations that the Ahmad family purchased the Ezidi teenager for $14,000 in 2017. The girl was allegedly subjected to sexual exploitation and forced domestic labour while living at the family's home in Raqqa.

Prosecutors claim Ahmad's father, Mohammad Ahmad, who is currently imprisoned in Iraq, was responsible for purchasing the girl and repeatedly abusing her. Investigators further allege that Zeinab Ahmad, then in her early twenties, mistreated the captive and was complicit in maintaining the conditions of her enslavement before the victim was later sold to another buyer.

As part of her bail proposal, Ahmad's legal team suggested she participate in a countering violent extremism (CVE) program run by Victoria Police and the Board of Imams Victoria.

Her uncle, Abraham Abbas, offered to accommodate her and provide a $75,000 surety. During his testimony, Abbas distanced the family from the Islamic State and strongly condemned the group, stating that its actions have no connection to Islam.

However, Clendenning argued that the CVE program is intended for individuals at risk of radicalisation, not for someone who had spent nearly a decade immersed in the Islamic State's environment.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)