This archive report was first published on 15 November 2019.
On November 15, 2019, a federal judge in Washington ruled that Hoda Muthana, an Alabama woman who joined the Islamic State, is not a US citizen. The judge's decision was based on the fact that Muthana's father was a diplomat at the time of her birth, making her ineligible for US citizenship.
Muthana's lawyer, Christina Jump, stated that the Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America would review the written ruling and consider further options.
According to the US government, citizenship is granted to virtually everyone born on its soil, and it is extremely difficult to revoke a person's citizenship. However, in Muthana's case, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo explained that her father's diplomatic status meant she was never a US citizen, despite traveling to Syria on a US passport.
Muthana's lawyer emphasized that the judge's ruling was based on diplomatic immunity, not a tweet by President Trump or any other official statement.
"United States citizenship cannot be revoked by tweet or any other form of social media, and today's ruling does not change that," Muthana's lawyer said.
Muthana, who was raised in Hoover, Alabama, claims she was brainwashed by the Islamic State through her smartphone and has since reformed. She is willing to face prosecution in the US and wants to return for the sake of her two-year-old son.
