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| Missing Bradford sisters 'are from ultraconservative Muslim family' | Missing Bradford sisters 'are from ultraconservative Muslim family' |
| (about 17 hours later) | |
| Three sisters from Bradford who are feared to have fled to Syria with their nine children come from an ultraconservative Muslim Pakistani family. | Three sisters from Bradford who are feared to have fled to Syria with their nine children come from an ultraconservative Muslim Pakistani family. |
| The women were born and raised in Bradford. According to Alyas Karmani, a local councillor for the Respect party, their parents originally came to Yorkshire from a Pashtun community in north-west Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. | |
| Pashtuns are associated with a strict interpretation of Islam, such as adherence to gender segregation and insistence on women covering their heads. | Pashtuns are associated with a strict interpretation of Islam, such as adherence to gender segregation and insistence on women covering their heads. |
| Neighbours said the family were devout Muslims. One of the sisters, Zohra Dawood, 33, is said to have held evening classes on the Qur’an in her house, while one of the older children appears to have created a website to share his views on Islam and regularly shared sermons from Islamic scholars on his Facebook page. | Neighbours said the family were devout Muslims. One of the sisters, Zohra Dawood, 33, is said to have held evening classes on the Qur’an in her house, while one of the older children appears to have created a website to share his views on Islam and regularly shared sermons from Islamic scholars on his Facebook page. |
| Some locals suggested the sisters were in unhappy arranged marriages with men from Pakistan – where Zohra’s husband now is, according to the family’s lawyer, Balaal Khan. But the two husbands of her sisters, Khadija Dawood, 30, and Sugra Dawood, 34, appeared at an emotional press conference in Bradford on Tuesday to insist they were happily married and had no idea why their wives appeared to have run away. Akhtar Iqbal, Sugra’s husband, said he could not live without his wife and children. Muhammad Shoaib said he had “the perfect marriage”. | Some locals suggested the sisters were in unhappy arranged marriages with men from Pakistan – where Zohra’s husband now is, according to the family’s lawyer, Balaal Khan. But the two husbands of her sisters, Khadija Dawood, 30, and Sugra Dawood, 34, appeared at an emotional press conference in Bradford on Tuesday to insist they were happily married and had no idea why their wives appeared to have run away. Akhtar Iqbal, Sugra’s husband, said he could not live without his wife and children. Muhammad Shoaib said he had “the perfect marriage”. |
| Neighbours of Zohra painted a picture of a private and polite woman whose marriage had broken down. They said Zohra was distraught by her brother’s decision to join militants in Syria more than a year ago. | Neighbours of Zohra painted a picture of a private and polite woman whose marriage had broken down. They said Zohra was distraught by her brother’s decision to join militants in Syria more than a year ago. |
| Oota Khan, 74, who lived next door, said: “Sometimes she was missing him and crying about the brother. When her brother went, he did not discuss it with the family … Maybe some friends told him to go, but he did not discuss it or get information from the family. They are not happy also.” | Oota Khan, 74, who lived next door, said: “Sometimes she was missing him and crying about the brother. When her brother went, he did not discuss it with the family … Maybe some friends told him to go, but he did not discuss it or get information from the family. They are not happy also.” |
| On Tuesday, the semi-detached home where Zohra and her children lived was apparently empty, with the blinds pulled down. Neighbours said she had been training for a degree at Huddersfield University but had not been seen for seven months to a year. | On Tuesday, the semi-detached home where Zohra and her children lived was apparently empty, with the blinds pulled down. Neighbours said she had been training for a degree at Huddersfield University but had not been seen for seven months to a year. |
| “The dad disappeared last year then the wife disappeared and then the kids disappeared and we haven’t seen them for six months,” said Alex Firth, 31, who lives in a house next to Zohra’s property. “He was a really good dad. He did everything for them – took them to school, picked them up – he was like their mum. I never saw the mum much.” | “The dad disappeared last year then the wife disappeared and then the kids disappeared and we haven’t seen them for six months,” said Alex Firth, 31, who lives in a house next to Zohra’s property. “He was a really good dad. He did everything for them – took them to school, picked them up – he was like their mum. I never saw the mum much.” |
| Zohra’s daughters, Nurah, five, and Haafiyah, eight, went to nearby Marshfields school. | Zohra’s daughters, Nurah, five, and Haafiyah, eight, went to nearby Marshfields school. |
| Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said he used to send his children to Zohra’s house on evenings where they would learn about the Qu’ran. “She spoke broad Yorkshire, like me,” he said. “Father was a really nice guy but couldn’t speak much English.” | Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said he used to send his children to Zohra’s house on evenings where they would learn about the Qu’ran. “She spoke broad Yorkshire, like me,” he said. “Father was a really nice guy but couldn’t speak much English.” |
| Karmani said the sisters attended Arabic education classes in Bradford and were good students. “I spoke to someone who went to classes with them and they said the girls were really into their studies, very intelligent and always paid their course fees. They were very decent, apparently. I asked if they were ever talking about foreign policy or things like that, but apparently not. This whole thing doesn’t seem planned. There was nothing that indicated they were going to abscond.” | Karmani said the sisters attended Arabic education classes in Bradford and were good students. “I spoke to someone who went to classes with them and they said the girls were really into their studies, very intelligent and always paid their course fees. They were very decent, apparently. I asked if they were ever talking about foreign policy or things like that, but apparently not. This whole thing doesn’t seem planned. There was nothing that indicated they were going to abscond.” |
| On social media Ibrahim Iqbal, 14, the second eldest of Sugra Dawood’s five children, revealed himself to be a typical young British teenager. | On social media Ibrahim Iqbal, 14, the second eldest of Sugra Dawood’s five children, revealed himself to be a typical young British teenager. |
| Ibrahim and his elder brother Junaid Ahmed, 15, attended Dixons Kings academy in Bradford where last week Vincent Uzomah, a science teacher, was stabbed in the stomach during the first lesson of the day. | Ibrahim and his elder brother Junaid Ahmed, 15, attended Dixons Kings academy in Bradford where last week Vincent Uzomah, a science teacher, was stabbed in the stomach during the first lesson of the day. |
| Related: Husbands make tearful appeal for wives and children feared to be in Syria | Related: Husbands make tearful appeal for wives and children feared to be in Syria |
| In pictures, Ibrahim is seen dressed in Nike clothing and grinning with friends at a theme park, or taking selfies in school uniform. He has liked the pages of boxers Amir Khan, Floyd Mayweather and Muhammad Ali, and shared posts from the humour website Uni Lad. In the comment section of one of his images, he is teased by friends for an affectionate picture he posts with his little brother Ismaeel, who is also missing. | In pictures, Ibrahim is seen dressed in Nike clothing and grinning with friends at a theme park, or taking selfies in school uniform. He has liked the pages of boxers Amir Khan, Floyd Mayweather and Muhammad Ali, and shared posts from the humour website Uni Lad. In the comment section of one of his images, he is teased by friends for an affectionate picture he posts with his little brother Ismaeel, who is also missing. |
| The posts also show a young man interested in religion and his heritage. Using another term for Pashtun, his profile picture says “I am Pathan, we don’t keep calm”, in the style of the “Keep calm and carry on” poster. He also posted regular sermons from Islamic scholars, a picture of a Palestinian flag, and a photoshopped image of Marlon Brando in an Islamic prayer cap, with the caption “The Godlover”. | |
| Three years ago, Ibrahim appears to have created his own website entitled An 11-year-old’s point of view about Islam. He wrote: “I have faith in Allah and his angels. His books and his messengers and that all good and evil and fate is from Almighty Allah … this makes my iman [belief] strong.” | Three years ago, Ibrahim appears to have created his own website entitled An 11-year-old’s point of view about Islam. He wrote: “I have faith in Allah and his angels. His books and his messengers and that all good and evil and fate is from Almighty Allah … this makes my iman [belief] strong.” |
| Junaid, the eldest of Sugra’s five children, has also posted Islamic quotes on his Facebook page, alongside pictures from the TV shows Arrow and Doctor Who. | Junaid, the eldest of Sugra’s five children, has also posted Islamic quotes on his Facebook page, alongside pictures from the TV shows Arrow and Doctor Who. |
| One quote from the Qur’an says in English and Arabic: “Sufficient for us is Allah”. Another, from the 13th-century Qur’anic scholar Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah says: “This dunya [world] is like a shadow, if you try to catch it, you will never be able to do so. But if you turn your back towards it, it has no choice but to follow you.” | One quote from the Qur’an says in English and Arabic: “Sufficient for us is Allah”. Another, from the 13th-century Qur’anic scholar Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah says: “This dunya [world] is like a shadow, if you try to catch it, you will never be able to do so. But if you turn your back towards it, it has no choice but to follow you.” |