An Australian woman, referred to as an "ISIS bride," has told the Victorian Supreme Court that motherhood led her to reject extremist ideology, as she seeks bail on slavery charges. Zeinab Ahmad, 31, returned to Australia in May with other family members of former Islamic State fighters after years in a Syrian refugee camp.
Her legal team presented arguments for her release on Thursday, with barrister Julie Condon KC citing evidence from psychiatrist Rajan Darjee. Dr. Darjee stated that Ahmad has demonstrated opposition to extremist ideology and that while she may have been influenced by it between 2015 and 2017, her beliefs have since shifted. He noted a lack of evidence of extremist views or behaviors since 2019, the year her daughter was born in the Al-Hawl refugee camp.
According to Dr. Darjee, Ahmad's focus after her daughter's birth was solely on her child's safety. Ahmad had moved to Syria in 2015 with her family and first husband, who was later killed in a drone strike. Allegations from 2017 state that her father purchased a teenage girl as a slave for $10,000. The girl reportedly endured repeated abuse, including being raped and beaten. While Ahmad is not accused of assaulting the girl, the teenager claims she was mistreated and that Ahmad confined her to the house and prevented her from leaving voluntarily.
Dr. Darjee suggested that Ahmad's upbringing within a "coercive, controlling and misogynistic" family environment in Syria might have influenced her actions, but that she has since moved on from those beliefs. He conceded under prosecution questioning that his assessment of her not exhibiting warning behaviors did not definitively mean such behaviors did not exist.
Lead police investigator Marc Clendenning confirmed that Ahmad had not posted any social media support for ISIS since February 2017. Psychologist Julianne Read, who assessed Ahmad and her daughter, reported that Ahmad described her time in Syria as "11 years of hell" and had renounced extremist ideology. The court also heard that Ahmad's mental health has deteriorated in custody, compounded by her separation from her daughter.
A magistrate denied Ahmad bail in June. Her mother, Kawsar, who is also facing slavery charges, was granted conditional release at that time. The hearing is ongoing.