Advertisement

Shamima Begum mothers' day card sees illustrator banned

An illustrator has been banned from Etsy after he was found selling a Mother’s Day card featuring the London-born Isis bride Shamima Begum.

The card designed and sold by Samuel Hague shows the 19-year-old mother – who gave birth to a boy in a refugee camp in Syria last week – with the slogan: “Thanks for never joining Isis."

The online marketplace said the artist had previously been warned about some of his other cards, which have also featured celebrities and public figures in the news cycle.

Mr Hague tweeted an e-mail from Etsy’s “integrity” team explaining why his account had been revoked following his latest stunt.

The message said: “While Etsy encourages sellers to express their personal views and ideas in their listings, we do not permit items or listings that promote, support or glorify hatred.”

(Samuel Hague Illustration)
(Samuel Hague Illustration)

It added: “We also prohibit items that promote, support or glorify acts of physical or sexual violence against individuals or groups.”

Last year the illustrator was condemned by the children’s charity NSPCC for his “thoughtless and irresponsible” work after he produced a Father’s Day card featuring Jimmy Savile and a Mother’s Day card featuring Karen Matthews – the woman jailed for kidnapping her own daughter Shannon.

It read: “Thanks for never hiding me under a bed.” The Savile card bore the slogan: “Thanks for never letting Jim fix it for me.”

At the time the Derbyshire-based artist defended his work, telling The Independent: “I choose to express myself through my artwork. Humour is subjective and most of the feedback I have received has been positive.”

Ms Begum has claimed the government’s recent decision to revoke her British citizenship is “unjust”.

The teenager from Bethnal Green left the UK to join Isis fighters in Syria in 2015 and came forward earlier this month to say she wanted to return home with the help of the British authorities.

On Friday her family said they were “shocked and appalled at the vile comments” she has made since then, including the suggestion that the Manchester bombing was justified. But they pleaded for Sajid Javid’s help to bring her infant son to Britain.