Good Morning Britain viewers took to social media to vent their anger at the show's decision to give Shamima Begum "air time" to discuss her new podcast. The ITV show's criticism comes as the BBC has released a 10-part podcast about the British ISIS bride and her life in the terrorist organisation after fleeing the UK to join.
In the series of BBC interviews, the 23-year-old says she understands the public's anger towards her, but insists she is not a “bad person”. Ms Begum told The Shamima Begum Story podcast that she accepts she is viewed “as a danger, as a risk”, but blamed her portrayal in the media.
“I’m just so much more than Isis (another term for the so-called Islamic State) and I’m so much more than everything I’ve been through.” She said. When asked whether she understands public anger towards her, she said: “Yes, I do understand.”
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“But I don’t think it’s actually towards me. I think it’s towards Isis. When they think of Isis they think of me because I’ve been put on the media so much.”
Ms Begum was 15 when she travelled from Bethnal Green, east London, through Turkey and into IS-controlled territory with two other schoolgirls in 2015. The 23-year-old is now locked in a legal battle with the UK Government to try to have her citizenship restored.
Discussing the new podcast on the show, host Kate Garraway asked guest Andrew Drury, who spent 18 months with Shamima for filming, "Is there something intrinsically wrong with her giving her side of the story when so much has been written about her?"
To which he replied: "If the side that she gives you is accurate. She has a different Shamima Begum every time I meet her. So the stuff we had on the podcast is different to the stuff she's told me.
"Which means there's two different stories. She's either lied to me, or lied to them or told a different story to them. So how much can we believe of her?
"I mean I believed her for about six/seven months, until I looked at all the footage and it's not accurate. Nothing's the same, everything's different every time I hear something from her and I don't think she has anything more to say."
However, regardless of all the things that were being discussed, many viewers just wanted the conversations to end and for Good Morning Britain to "stop giving Shamima Begum air time".
Taking to Twitter, @STAR_LFC commented: "Why why why are you still giving airtime to her? Seriously." @Wendysmith0102 tweeted: "Shouldn’t give her any time at all, she made her choice."
@Carolin04684310 urged: "Shouldn’t give her the air time." @DreamProjects_N fumed: "STOP talking about this and giving it air time." @KWALKER____ put: "NO NO NO!!!!! No platform, no air time, no time whatsoever. She made her choices."
@Mammahen69 vented: "I'm furious she is getting air time after what she did , my son was arrested and jailed for fighting isis with the ypg, she doesn't deserve anything after joining isis."
@DamienGillett83 raged: "Absolute waste of licence payers money by @bbc with Shamima Begrum. I fully accept the Security Services assessments. Stop giving her airtime! #GMB."
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