She left Canada to support ISIS. Now she's back and trying to rebuild a life

NPR | By Tom Bowman,

Gabriel J. Sánchez, Andrew Sussman

Published September 12, 2026 at 5:01 PM EDT

A young Canadian mother shares her memories of being an ISIS bride, and her harrowing escape from the extremist group.

Tom Bowman

Tom Bowman is a NPR National Desk reporter covering the Pentagon.

See stories by Tom Bowman

Gabriel J. Sánchez

Gabriel J. Sánchez is a producer for NPR's All Things Considered.

Andrew Sussman

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.