Shamima Begum, who left the UK to join the so-called Islamic State (ISIL), should not be allowed to return to fight a decision to strip her of British citizenship, the UK's Supreme Court ruled on Friday.

The ruling will make it harder for those stripped of British citizenship on national security grounds – some 150 people, many of them former ISIL members – to make their case in court.

"If a vital public interest – in this case, the safety of the public – makes it impossible for a case to be fairly heard, then the courts cannot ordinarily hear it," the Supreme Court judges concluded.

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Begum, 21, was one of three London schoolgirls who traveled to Syria in 2015 to join ISIL before being found in a refugee camp by a journalist in 2019. 

She has since spoken of her desire to return to the UK but the Home Office stripped her of citizenship two years ago, citing security concerns.

In July last year, the UK's Court of Appeal ruled that Begum should be permitted to return to the country so she could fairly contest the decision and direct her lawyers in person. 

The Home Office challenged that ruling, its lawyers arguing her return "would create significant national security risks," while exposing the country to "an increased risk of terrorism."

The court's ruling does not stop Begum from pursuing her case, albeit from Syria, where she is being detained without trial. 

Divided opinion 

Begum and two other schoolgirls, Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase, left for Syria in 2015. Pictures of the teenagers traveling through a Turkish airport were splashed across front pages of British newspapers.

Four years later, after the disintegration of ISIL, the nine months pregnant Begum was discovered by a Times journalist in the al-Hawl refugee camp, northern Syria. Begum said she wanted to return to the UK, but in the interview did not express regret for joining ISIL. 

Following the death of her baby and the stripping of her citizenship, Begum's case sparked debate in the UK, pitting those who say she gave up her right to citizenship by traveling to join ISIL against those who argue she should not be left stateless and should face justice in Britain.