British Muslim girl speaks about being contacted by ISIS
She was contacted through her Snapchat ID which was on her Twitter profile. Her passion for football was the main reason for not entertaining the lure of ISIS.
She was contacted through her Snapchat ID which was on her Twitter profile after she became interested in the three girls from Bethnal Green who went to Turkey and started following tweets on the story. She was just interested in the girls' motives: "Why are they going? I was really curious about the whole issue of it." She did not start with the intention of travelling to Syria.
Their communication was casual for a few weeks. "It wasn't really as clich茅 as people think it was," she said. "It's like a conversation with your friend. It's like a normal thing."
Deeper questions about life and marriage as a Muslim woman outside Britain came later. She said "It was glorified. It was made to seem like it was this promise land."
Her love for football dissuaded her from going to live the idyllic life she was being sold. "If I had 3 kids and a husband am I really gonna be able to continue living my passion?"
We're not naming the girl but she's one of dozens who have been supported by The Unity of Faiths Foundation, which fights radicalisation through football. The sports team was the main reason for not entertaining the lure of ISIS. She said, "鈥楾he thing about this team is a family really, everyone鈥檚 together. Once you have a place to go like this, you won't even be brought to think about that kind of thing.鈥
Image credit: Getty Images/Eugenio Marongiu
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