The last time Shamima Begum, Amira Abase and Kadiza Sultana, all either 15 or 16 years old, were seen on British soil was in February 2015. Blurred CCTV footage showed the three East London pupils carrying bags at Gatwick Airport. But what appeared to be a vacation trip ended in Syria.

Their departure to a war zone became one of the strongest symbols of the Islamic State’s potential allure to Muslims in Europe, alarming a country that considered itself at war with the organization the three girls had joined. But now a BBC comedy sketch is lampooning the lives of young women who joined the militant group — and sparking a debate in Britain about whether you can really joke about terrorist groups.

“The Real Housewives of ISIS,” which aired this week on the BBC comedy show “Revolting,” follows a group of fictional Western women who are living wildly restricted married lives in the Islamic State. “Ali bought me a new chain, which is eight feet long,” one female actor says as she stands in a kitchen. “So I can get outside, which is great.”

Another woman featured in the controversial clip remarks, “It’s only three days to the beheading, and I’ve got no idea what to wear.”

The punchlines have left some people wondering if it’s appropriate to make fun of a phenomenon that has torn communities and families apart, especially while social workers are still trying to prevent girls and young women from being lured to Syria.

 

Read the whole story from The Washington Post.

Featured image courtesy of YouTube.