By Soaliha Iqbal
A group of Australian women and their children — aged as young as six — landed in Australia overnight after spending years in Syrian refugee camps. The first cohort — included four women and nine children.
These women — reduced to the name ‘ISIS brides’ by parts of the media and political class— have been the subject of an increasing frenzy over the past few months. This includes calls from politicians, some news outlets and individuals to revoke their citizenship or block their entry.
What legacy media has failed to interrogate, though, are the similarities and differences between these women and the Australians who chose to fight with the Israeli army during its ongoing genocide in Gaza and attacks on Lebanon and Iran.
Why are they free to enter the country with almost no scrutiny after possibly committing war crimes, given some of these women were arrested once their planes touched down?
It’s a question that many of the Etterati have asked us, and so we’ve deferred to two experts in international law and terrorism.
Support independent media. Join the Etterati
What legal obligations does Australia have to the ISIS-affiliated women and children?
Over the last few years, and particularly in the last few months, there has been much discourse around whether the women accused of being members of ISIS should be “allowed” to enter Australia. Some quarters of the press have even called for their citizenships to be revoked.
Dr Se Youn Park, Director of Research at Women in International Security (WIIS), told Ette Media that it’s important to remember these women and their children are Australian citizens, and therefore Australia has a legal responsibility to them.
