Citizenship is something most people cherish. Particularly migrants who have waited in a refugee camp to be admitted to this country and who celebrate when they finally receive that piece of paper that recognises them as Australian citizens.
That does raise the question of whether we have the right to resign from being a citizen of either our country of birth or our adopted country. And if we do abandon that citizenship, do we have the right to change our mind and demand it back - later ?
That is a question being debated in the United Kingdom. When Islamic State started practicing its extreme version of Islam in Syria and Iraq many young girls in western countries got a romantic urge to join this movement. Three British schoolgirls managed to fly across borders and joined IS with the intent of becoming brides for what they termed " freedom fighters "
One of them, a fourteen year old named Shamima Begum stole jewellery from her parents home to finance her travel and simply disappeared into the conflict in the desert.. That was in 2015 and she has now reappeared, heavily pregnant and demanding to be allowed to return to Britain so that her unborn child will have automatic British citizenship. It seems she had two other children while she was with IS but both died from the privation and danger that existed during the fighting.
Britain's Home Secretary is opposed to her return and has vowed to do whatever is necessary to prevent that happening. Shamima, who is now nineteen years old is near full term and if her baby is born outside the UK it will automatically gain the citizenship of whatever country it is in when birth occurs.
Most people would agree that when a person willingly rejects their citizenship and acts in defiance of their country the relationship is permanently severed. They are free to seek citizenship in any country that will accept them. But surely that rejection is a two way deal. Why does any country feel an obligation to restore that citizenship simply because the ex-citizen now has had a change of mind.
Many Australians remember a finance entrepreneur who absconded overseas with his family - and with a lot of other people's money - and lived a life of luxury in a fine estate described to the media as an " unrenovated farmhouse ". Despite countless attempts to enforce deportation to return to Australia to face court for his crimes this family publicly disavowed their Australian citizenship and happily lived well on the stolen money. After the death of this tycoon - and with the money dwindling - his wife made a tearful plea to be allowed to reclaim her Australian citizenship and return to this country - and that was granted !
What happens to Shamima Begum is for the United Kingdom to decide, but we have people who willingly committed murder for religious reasons by joining Islamic State and some of them will try and return to Australia. It is within our powers to grant citizenship and with that comes the right to accept that citizenship has ceased when it is rejected by a person covered by its benefits. Being a citizen of Australia does come with mutual obligations.
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