Rayann El Houli, an Australian woman referred to as an 'ISIS bride,' allegedly showed her young children violent extremist propaganda and encouraged them to act like Islamic State fighters while living in Syria. The allegations were detailed in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday during El Houli's bail application.
El Houli, 34, was charged in May with traveling to a declared conflict zone and joining the terrorist organization Islamic State. Prosecutors allege she voluntarily traveled to Syria in 2014 and lived under ISIS rule until the group's defeat in 2019. She and her family were detained by Syrian forces and held at the Al-Hawl detention camp for six years before returning to Australia in September.
Senior Constable Paul Sherlock presented details of videos El Houli allegedly filmed of her children in Syria. In one clip from May 2015, El Houli purportedly showed a video on a laptop to her toddler, featuring what were described as IS fighters, or 'mujahedin.' According to the allegations, she asked the child, "What are they doing? Killing the disbelievers?" To which the child reportedly responded, "Yes." El Houli then allegedly said, "Where does Allah put the disbelievers? In the hellfire," with the child repeating the phrase.
Another video allegedly shows El Houli encouraging her child to "act like a mujahedin." She is accused of asking the child, "How do you hold the weapon?" as the child mimicked shooting with a rifle. "Hold it well," she reportedly repeated. Investigators also allege she asked the child to demonstrate how the mujahedin "slaughter the (infidels) with the knife."
These clips were not played in open court. El Houli's lawyer, Peter Morrissey SC, stated that she had experienced significant post-traumatic stress disorder from seeing her children in these videos. Senior Constable Sherlock also noted the presence of numerous weapons, including guns, in videos filmed at the home where El Houli stayed with her sister and brother-in-law after divorcing her third husband. One video allegedly depicted children sleeping in a bed with an AK-47 rifle leaning against the wall nearby.
Investigators argued that El Houli posed an unacceptable risk to the safety of the community and her children, expressing concern that she had not moved on from her radical ideology. Prosecutor Andrew Sprague contended that El Houli's alleged enthusiasm for IS while in Syria contradicted her claims about her initial motivations. He stated that her explanation to a psychologist, that she was merely performing a role, was undermined by videos allegedly showing her showing propaganda to her children.
Upon her return to Australia in 2025, El Houli reportedly declined to participate in a Countering Violent Extremism program. Her defense team countered by stating she had been experiencing symptoms of multiple sclerosis while managing a difficult life caring for her children. Morrissey argued that her alleged activities in Syria were from 2018 and that she is now focused on being a mother. The magistrate is expected to deliver a bail decision on Monday.