ISIS bride tells court she shunned the brutal regime after the fall of Islamic State - as she pleads for her freedom after seven years in captivity at 'harsh' Syrian desert camp

By WAYNE FLOWER, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 06:06, 15 June 2026 | Updated: 06:19, 15 June 2026 An Australian ISIS bride accused of crimes against humanity has told a court she tried to distance herself from its religious extremists after the fall of Islamic State.  Zeinab Ahmad, 31, is facing two counts of crimes against humanity, including enslavement and using a slave, which the court heard was authorised by an ISIS 'slave-rape handbook'. On Monday, her lawyer Grace Morgan told the court Ahmad had been keen to signal to others held with her in a Syrian refugee camp that she was not an ISIS supporter.  'She was sick of people being in control of her,' Ms Morgan said.  'She explained she wanted to distance herself from others who were not on the same wavelength as hers so she removed her face coverings and started wearing colour. 'She did not want to be associated with others who held ideologies. She wanted others to know she was not like them: "I wasn't and I won't be like them."  'She described having such a bad experience with Islam and in relation to her daughter stated: "I don't want any more Islamic influence on her".' Ms Morgan told the court the allegations that her client had been involved in violence against the alleged victim were weak. Zeinab Ahmad, 31, is facing two counts of crimes against humanity 'To the extent that it is alleged my client has been complicit in violence or sexual slavery - that aspect of the case is weak,' she said.  'And it's weak because of statements made by the complainants.' Ms Morgan claimed Ahmad had actually tried to intervene to protect a young woman who was allegedly kept as a slave by the family and being raped by Ahmad's father, Mohammad Ahmad, now held in a Syrian prison.  'There is evidence of positive conduct intervening to prevent on at least one occasion,' she said.  The court has previously heard allegations Ahmad's father was a brutal slavedriver.  The court heard he routinely assaulted the family slave, punching and dragging her down two flights of stairs by her hair on one occasion. 'I bought you for sex and housework,' he told her, the court has heard. The girl had allegedly been taken captive as a 15-year-old when ISIS combatants killed her mother and brother. Ahmad's father Mohammad Ahmad (pictured) - who is now in a Syrian prison - has been accused of enlaving a young girl and raping her Over the next five years she was said to have been traded about 17 times to different ISIS members, who beat, tortured and raped her. Police allege the Ahmad family bought the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, for US$10,000 during Ramadan in 2017. Mohammad Ahmad allegedly told others the young girl was his wife, but told her: 'I bought you for the purpose of raping and at the same time serving the home.'  Ms Morgan argued her client should be released on bail for a variety of reasons, including the expected delay in the matter coming to its conclusion.  The court heard it could take years for the matter to conclude, which Ms Morgan suggested could exceed any sentence Ahmad might receive if found guilty.  'It's submitted in this case that the hearing of this trial to verdict will almost certainly take in excess of three years,' she said.  'The case is not presently ready for a fair trial.' Ms Morgan said Ahmad and her child had endured a bleak life in the refugee camp, adding that her client had been desperate to return to Australia. Chaotic scenes welcomed the returning ISIS brides at Melbourne Airport last month 'She wanted to come home, and has wanted to come home for a very long time,' she said. 'My client is an Australian citizen who was born here, went to school here, grew up here...if the political will existed for them to be brought home, they would have been brought home. 'My client was a prisoner between 2019 and 2026 ... That's a seven-year period of confinement in harsh and dangerous conditions.' Ms Morgan told the court Ahmad had herself been subjected to violence at the hands of men.  'It ought not be assumed that my client's freedoms were the same as she enjoys here in Australia,' she added.  'That goes back to the significant structures of power and control that were imposed on women by this regime.' Ms Morgan told the court her client was forced into each of her marriages to ISIS combatants.  'Those structures of power and control applied to my client,' she said.  Zeinab Ahmad hopes to be released into the home of her uncle Abraham Abbas, who clashed with photographers at Melbourne Airport last month The court heard Ahmad told a forensic doctor she would not wish her ordeal on anyone. Ahmad said she had been married three times in four years, claiming she was forced into each marriage and experienced violence, controlling behaviour and threats.  She also described threats and violence while in the camp.  Ms Morgan suggested her client had renounced ISIS.  'It lends support to the proposition that she would have antipathy to the regime that enabled and indeed furthered violent control and aggressive conduct by men,' she said. The court heard Ahmad claimed she wanted her daughter to be exposed to multiculturalism and enjoy the diversity of Australia.  'She said: "I don't want them to take any more of me",' Ms Morgan said.  'While it's not explicitly stated, it is absolutely clear that she's talking about Islamic State.' Lawyer Grace Morgan (right) hopes to have Ahmad released back into the community on bail  The court previously heard Ahmad shared her bedroom with the slave and allegedly kept a Glock pistol in the room. Ahmad had initially been married to an Australian, Dawood Elmir. The couple wed in Australia before travelling to Syria in 2014 He was killed two years later in a drone strike, before her second marriage to Australian Abu Mus'ab, who was killed by an air strike soon after. Her third husband was an Egyptian ISIS fighter known as Abu Omar al-Masri. He had been on an ISIS pension after losing his left arm in the war and injuring his leg. His whereabouts remain unknown, the court was told. The court heard Ahmad claimed to be very happy in Syria, telling friends she 'loved it' there. When Elmir was killed, she wrote about her pride that he had died a martyr, fighting for the cause, and in 2017, she posted a prayer for an Islamic victory. 'May Allah swt [short for an Islamic honorific - subhanahu wa ta'ala] deal with all of the oppressive leaders and tyrants all over the world,' she added. A fully veiled woman holds her baby as civilians fleeing the Islamic State's embattled holdout of Baghouz walk in a field on February 13, 2019 Her uncle Abraham Abbas has offered to put up a $75,000 surety to secure her release. But police say there is an unacceptable risk that Ahmad would endanger the community if released on bail. They argued that no set of bail conditions could adequately manage or reduce that risk. Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan will make her decision after all the evidence has been heard and final submissions have been made. 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