Prosecutors have argued that an accused ISIS bride should remain behind bars, claiming there is insufficient evidence she has renounced the extremist beliefs she allegedly supported while living under Islamic State.
Melbourne Magistrates Court heard that 31-year-old Zeinab Ahmad is seeking bail after being charged with slavery-related offences following her return to Australia from Syria.
During the bail hearing, prosecutors argued the strongest available evidence points to Ahmad’s past support for Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Prosecutor Andrew Sprague referred to social media posts allegedly made by Ahmad in 2015 and 2016, which allegedly endorsed violence against non-believers and supported attacks on the United States and its allies.
He told the court those statements demonstrated support for an ideology and terrorist organisation fundamentally opposed to public safety and democratic freedoms.
Sprague argued that without compelling evidence showing Ahmad has genuinely rejected those beliefs, the risk she poses to the community remains unacceptable.
Defence Claims Ahmad Rejects ISIS
Defence barrister Grace Morgan said Ahmad has repeatedly rejected Islamic State and expressed anger towards the men who enforced its ideology.
The court heard Ahmad described her years in Syria as “11 years of hell” during discussions with a psychologist.
Her legal team argued those comments demonstrated she no longer supports ISIS and should be granted bail.
However, prosecutors challenged the reliability of those statements, noting they were made during an assessment relating to her child rather than as part of a formal evaluation of her beliefs.
Slavery Allegations
Ahmad was charged in May after returning to Australia with other women and children previously linked to ISIS-controlled areas in Syria.
Federal police allege Ahmad travelled to Syria with her first husband, Dawod, in January 2015. Authorities claim he later joined Islamic State before being killed in a drone strike in 2016.
The prosecution alleges that in 2017, while Ahmad was living with family members in Syria, her father, Mohammad Ahmad, purchased a teenage girl for US$10,000 and held her as a slave.
Court documents allege the girl was repeatedly assaulted and abused, including an incident in which she was allegedly beaten and dragged down two flights of stairs by her hair.
The bail hearing continues as the court considers whether Ahmad should remain in custody while the case proceeds.
