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Grace ‘Khadijah’ Dare: Mother of Isa Dare had exorcisms amid concerns over her mental health

Woman reportedly thought she was possessed by evil spirits

Kate Ng
Wednesday 06 January 2016 17:45 GMT
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Khadijah Dare, pictured with late husband Abu Bakr
Khadijah Dare, pictured with late husband Abu Bakr (Channel 4)

Khadijah Dare - the mother of the young boy who appeared in a new propaganda video released by Isis - reportedly underwent "exorcism treatment" before joining the extremist group.

Dare, formerly known as Grace Dare, was convinced she was possessed by evil spirits and left her husband because he would not take up the jihadi cause, according to The Times.

An anonymous source, claiming to be friends with Dare, told the newspaper she was having “exorcism treatments” because she thought she was possessed by a “jinn”.

She had reportedly been attending a mosque where Siddartha Dhar, who is suspected of being the "new Jihadi John", was the main influence.

Her ex-husband, who is Turkish, was described as a “passive character" by the source, who also said Dare was the “dominant” one in their relationship.

The pair married in an Islamic ceremony when they were still teenagers, but were divorced shortly after their son, Isa, was born.

According to the source, a rumour suggested Dare left her husband because he refused to join the extremist group and fight with them. The source added that Dare was “doing all this for the fame”.

They also reportedly said there were concerns about her mental health among friends, and that Dare did not “appear very maternal”.

The source said she would leave her then only months-old son anywhere in the mosque, such as “on the floor… without a blanket”.

Isa appeared in a propaganda video titled “A Message to David Cameron” earlier this week, where a British militant threatened the UK and purportedly killed five hostages.

Dare, who grew up in Lewisham, London, in a Christian family, travelled to Syria three years ago to marry a Swedish fighter named Abu Bakr, who was killed in 2014.

She is believed to have been radicalised online, and has been linked to the men who murdered soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich in 2013.

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