Should Shamima Begum be Allowed to Return to the UK?

We all do stupid stuff when we are teenagers. It is part of the growing up process. That being said, there is a difference between a one-time error that we learn from and a mistake that affects the rest of our lives.

Back in 2015, Shamima Begum was a young lady living in the UK. At the age of fifteen, Miss Begum (along with two friends) got on a plane and made their way to the Islamic State. Nearly a decade later, she is petitioning the British government to allow her to return.

There are two schools of thought here. The first is that she was the victim of sex or human trafficking and should be seen as a victim. Therefore, she should be allowed to come back home and resume a normal life.

The other is that she made her bed and has to lie in it. One could argue that this is the folly of youth. However, there is a difference between getting wasted at a bar while underage and using a fake ID to get inside vs. leaving home to join a terrorist organization.

Obviously, as an American citizen, I don’t have any skin in this game. That being said, I feel like there is no easy answer to this question. Whatever the decision, someone will be unhappy. The only thing I can wish for Miss Begum is that whatever the result is, she will one day be able to make peace with her decision.

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Throwback Thursday: Mysteries of the Abandoned (2017 to Present)

A building, regardless of what it was used for, speaks volumes. It can tell us about the epoch it was completed in, the reason it exists, and the people who stood within its walls.

Mysteries of the Abandoned has been on the Discovery Channel since 2017. Each episode tells the story of a property that was once used by humans and has since been abandoned. The program explores the purpose of its existence, and why it has been left idle.

I find the series to be fascinating. Each location is a time capsule of a place and era that has been lost to history. By answering these questions, it allows the audience to have a greater understanding of our world and what it means to be a human being.

Do I recommend it? Yes.