Staying in
PODCAST
by SARAH SHANNON
I'm Not a Monster Everyone knows Shamima Begum's story; the 15-year-old who left her home in east London and went to join Isis with her two friends. Four years later, she was discovered by a journalist in a Syrian refugee camp, the only one of the girls to emerge alive from the so-called caliphate.
But what else do we really know about her? I'm Not aMonster sees presenter Josh Baker retrace Shamima's footsteps to find out how she reached Syria and what she did there. Along the way he meets her Isis fighter husband, dodges criminal gangs, and interviews ordinary Syrians who suffered under Isis rule. The podcast is underpinned by interviews with Shamima herself. She sometimes presents a pitiful picture; a lonely young woman mourning the loss of three babies and renounced by her own country. On other occasions, she is infuriating as she refuses to answer important questions and shows little understanding of the impact of her actions. Monster or misguided girl? Listen on BBC Sounds and make up your own mind.
Fubar (NETFLIX)