Mother and 4 children leave uk for Syria?

The news item I heard said that the husband reported their disappearance - I don't know if that's correct or not.

In the main I'm with petra on this although I do wonder about what her life must be like to prefer Syria to here and what will happen to the children. I do worry about people who leave for Syria and other such places and then return - what is their intention then? What kind of risks are we running allowing them back?

A number of children in this kind of situation have been made wards of court and placed within their families to protect them from being taken to Syria. A 16 year old girl has been removed from her parents by the family courts because the family were found to be encouraging her to become 'radicalised' and literature etc found in the family home that suggested they were supporters of IS.

The attraction of living in a caliphate is attractive to some people. It's a free country, let them go but what do we do if/when they want to return. Safeguarding the children involved is a complex issue. Can the state allow children to be taken into a war zone, does the state have the right to intervene and remove children from otherwise loving parents.

Yes, it's odd that he is hardly mentioned and isn't reported as saying anything about her disappearance.

I wonder what the husband /father is saying?

All I could gather so far is that she bought flights to Amsterdam. Maybe she needs some drugs. Maybe she is just running away from her husband. It,s all speculation. She's been reported as missing because nobody knows what she's doing so the police, quite rightly, do what they are supposed to do when someone is reported missing.

That's all we know. Shrug. Since I don't know her I find I don't really care either. It's her life and her kids. She hasn't abandoned them. Celeb parents do all kinds of mad things all the time.

Good point, PRINTMISS. Perhaps there are some women who want to live under Sharia law.

I sometimes wonder if we take it for granted that our way of life is 'better'. Yes, of course we enjoy our lives here, and for us it seems better than the way of life in Syria,( it must be for so many people fleeing that country,) but should we not now think that some people might prefer the life they see portrayed there, and think it would be a better place for them and their children. It is difficult to understand why it is the women who decide to leave with their children, and perhaps we should question the sort of life they have here, and what it is that appears so attractive to them in a country we perceive as being unpleasant, to say the least.

It's a bit ironic isn't it, that hundreds of thousands of Syrians are trying to flee to Europe, and a few hundred from Europe are trying to get there for whatever reason and it's a big hooha, with photos , names etc and handwringing family and neighbours etc. Let them go and give their council houses to a refugee family. Yes it's horrible for the children, and the women, can't imagine what she's expecting to do there, be used as a suicide bomber or something. Maybe she was just fleeing domestic violence here. Who knows.

Walthamstow has a huge Asian population, so at least this is only one small family that has gone, if in fact they have gone to Syria( may just have left the husband and gone somewhere else?) Like Petra, I don't give two hoots about the adults who go willingly to Syria to join IS, they deserve all they get, but feel sorry for children who have no choices in the matter.

Thanks, marmight. I obviously didn't have the right search terms! It's not clear from the reports I've read that there is any indication she was heading for Syria. Perhaps the police have information we're not being told.

Another family Bags fom Walthamstow. Saw it it on the news last night

I can't find anything recent in the news, petra. Are you referring to an new story or an older one?

petraI think you posted something similar on a previous occasion didn't you? The UK is presumably her country as well as yours, even if she no longer wishes to be here?

I'm inclined to wonder, like jane10 whether something here wasn't right. I can't understand why a woman would leave her husband and immediate and extended family and take her children half way across the world if she felt happy with her life.

Poor children.

I agree. Let her go but she shouldn't have taken the children. I wonder what her life here was like. Can't have been good. Perhaps they had a lot to fear here: was there a risk of abuse and no one to tell? Perhaps she was afraid to leave the children. Torn between two cultures and probably won't fit in nearly as well as she thinks she will over there.

I echo POGS sentiments. I feel very alarmed for the children, especially the little girl, what life can she look forward to there. These innocent children are too young to make an informed choice about where they want to live and it will be very dangerous for them. I'm not very sympathetic to women who choose to go to Syria and spend their time there tormenting/spying on the indigenous Syrian women at the behest of Jihadi men, or threaten UK citizens with the warnings that they will come back here and commit acts of terrorism. I regard them as treacherous.

It certainly does not upset me what your thoughts are petra as we are all entitled to our own opinions and I understand yours so very well, but what I do feel sad about is the fact that this mum may not be altogether thinking reasonably as to taking those defenceless children with her and their future is so so uncertain if she is not in a safe state of mind,the children have not been asked to be part of the equasion have they and could be at risk.

I really can't imagine what is in a Mother's mind that would put her children in a place of such danger, I just don't understand it.

I feel sorry for the children though.

I can't bear to think where the poor little kids will end up, especially the little girl if you understand what I mean.