Hoda Muthana, who formerly departed from Alabama to join ISIS and saw her citizenship stripped away by the US afterward, expressed a feeling of being “broken” while speaking from a Syrian prison camp where she is kept guarded by US-aligned forces. Muthana declared that she desires to come back to America and is willing to accept any punishment required if needed.
In 2016, the Obama administration revoked Muthana’s citizenship and former President Donald Trump barred her from entering the US two years after. In 2021, a federal appeals court confirmed that she was never an American citizen due to her father being a diplomat for Yemen at the time of her birth- thereby concluding in rejecting any attempts made by Muthana’s father to have his daughter return back into the States. Unfortunately, it does not appear likely that she will be able to reenter America anytime soon given these circumstances.
The appellate court upheld that decision, remarking on her as “a prominent spokeswoman for ISIS on social media, advocating the killing of Americans and encouraging American women to join ISIS. ”
In November 2014, Muthana lied to her family about taking a school trip to Atlanta when she had already booked a flight that would take her from Turkey into the occupied ISIS territory of Syria. During this time with ISIS militants, she married three different jihadi fighters and was widowed twice before eventually giving birth to a son.
The Counter Extremism Project, a research-based nonprofit organization, alleged that she had spread ISIS propaganda while associated with the group. In 2014, her tweets revealed her intention to burn her US passport and urged for violent attacks throughout the United States.
During her discussion, Muthana maintained that someone from ISIS had taken control of her phone and sent the tweets. When the group was in decline she ran away and was apprehended by Kurdish forces. Subsequently, when she announced her wish to return to America with her child, former President Donald Trump tweeted in February 2019 for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to allow it.
During her TNM conversation, Muthana candidly revealed that she was a “victim of ISIS” who had been manipulated in 2014 by online traffickers to join the group. She fully recognizes and regrets the grave errors she made. “Of course, I regret coming here,” she said.
“If I could take it back I would do it in a heartbeat. I’m hoping my government looks at me as someone young at the time and naive. ”
Hoda Muthana’s case exposes the complexity of managing individuals that have joined extremist organizations, and how our governments and societies negotiate justice, safety, and human rights. Although her statements may be authentic along with her regretful attitude towards them; still The US government and courts held her liable for what she has done. Yet many questions remain on how to deal with similar cases in the upcoming years.
It is worth noting that the legality of revoking her citizenship has been widely contested by legal experts and civil rights groups, prompting public attention and demands for more just solutions as well as greater transparency in decision-making.
