Source : Perth Now news
A so-called “ISIS bride” developed an opposition to extremist ideology following the birth of her daughter in a refugee camp, a court has been told.
Zeinab Ahmad was arrested and charged with slavery offences upon her return to Australia with other family members of former Islamic State fighters in May after years of languishing in a Syrian refugee camp.
The 31-year-old mother on Thursday launched her second bid for bail in the Victorian Supreme Court, arguing she does not pose a risk to the community.
Her barrister Julie Condon KC relied on “compelling evidence” from psychiatrist Rajan Darjee showing Ahmad had a “demonstrated opposition” to extremist ideology.
Between 2015 to 2017, when Ahmad was living with her immediate family in Syria, Dr Darjee said she may have been “caught up” in the ideology.
She had made social media posts during that time allegedly calling for violence against non-believers and the destruction of the US and its allies.
But Dr Darjee said those beliefs have changed following the fall of IS and the birth of her daughter in the Al-Hawl refugee camp in 2019.
“I looked for any evidence since 2019 of any of these factors – I didn’t find any,” he said.
“(She was) only focused on her daughter’s safety and wanting her to have colourful tents.”
Ahmad had moved to Syria with her family and her first husband in 2015 before he was killed in a drone strike while fighting for IS.
While living in IS-controlled territory in 2017, it’s alleged her father Mohammad bought a teenage girl as a slave for $US10,000.
The girl was allegedly raped and beaten repeatedly by Mohammad, including an incident where she was hit and dragged down two flights of stairs by the hair.
She reported screaming loudly during the incidents so Ahmad and the other family members would have known what was happening.
Ahmad is not alleged to have assaulted the girl.
But the teen claims she was “treated very badly” and Ahmad would order her around the house and not let her leave voluntarily.
Ahmad would have been living in a male-dominated family environment in Syria that was “coercive, controlling and misogynistic,” Dr Darjee said.
It is plausible she has now moved on and rejected those beliefs, he said.
Under prosecution questioning, the psychiatrist conceded his conclusion about Ahmad showing no warning behaviours did not mean they did not exist.
Lead police investigator Marc Clendenning accepted Ahmad had not posted any social media support for IS since February 2017.
Psychologist Julianne Read, who assessed Ahmad and her daughter, told the court the accused described her time in Syria was “11 years of hell” and had rejected extremist ideology.
The court was told Ahmad’s mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder had deteriorated in custody, burdened by her separation from her daughter.
She was denied bail by a magistrate in June when her mother Kawsar, also facing slavery charges, was granted conditional release.
The hearing resumes .
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