Former Housemate Sounds Alarm Over Australian ISIS Bride's Repatriation
A former housemate of Kirsty Rosse-Emile, one of eleven Australian women known as "ISIS brides" detained in Syrian refugee camps, has issued a stark warning about her potential return to Australia. Sara*, who lived with Rosse-Emile in Melbourne over a decade ago, vividly recalls a disturbing conversation where Rosse-Emile declared her desire to "go and make bombs" instead of returning to school.
Chilling Revelation and Security Concerns
Sara remembers Rosse-Emile, then approximately seventeen years old and using her Islamic name Asma, making this shocking statement during an otherwise ordinary chat in their living room. Now, with Rosse-Emile pleading with Australian authorities to repatriate her and her children, Sara fears the Albanese government might overlook the grave security risks. She specifically references the Bondi Beach massacre on December 14, where fifteen Jewish individuals were killed by Islamic extremists, as a grim reminder of what could happen.
"When she said she wanted to make bombs, I was shocked and I didn't know what to say," Sara recounted. "You don't expect someone to say that." Sara emphasizes that Rosse-Emile's extremist mindset was not a fleeting adolescent phase but a developed belief system formed during her marriage to Moroccan Islamic State fighter Nabil Kadmiry.
Early Marriage and Troubling History
Sara lived with Rosse-Emile and Kadmiry in south-east Melbourne in late 2010, before the couple relocated to Syria in 2014. Contrary to previous reports stating they married when Rosse-Emile was nineteen, Sara asserts the marriage occurred when Rosse-Emile was just fourteen and Kadmiry was in his thirties. Rosse-Emile's Facebook cover photo once read "Jihad is the only solution," further illustrating her radical views.
In a 2023 ABC interview, Rosse-Emile asked the Australian government, "Can you just come and get me?" claiming she was tricked into going to Syria. However, her father, Guy Rosse-Emile, contradicted this, stating she went willingly to fight for Islam and suggesting she should be settled in a Muslim country like Turkey instead.
Bizarre Behavior and Terror Links
Sara's experiences with the couple were marked by odd conduct. While Sara was overseas in Pakistan in early 2011, Rosse-Emile and Kadmiry, who had agreed to care for Sara's dog, abruptly moved out. They relocated just five minutes away to Al-Furqan, an Islamic study centre later raided by counter-terrorism police in 2016, with some members joining IS in Syria.
Text messages reveal Rosse-Emile attempting to avoid responsibility for the dog, citing petrol costs and busy schedules, despite the short distance. The couple also left without paying $600 in owed rent. Sara, who had recently converted to Islam, initially trusted Rosse-Emile due to her devout appearance, including wearing a niqab.
Journey to Syria and Current Situation
After moving to Al-Furqan, Rosse-Emile and Kadmiry traveled to Syria in 2014, reportedly using funds from Kadmiry's superannuation. They told her father they were moving to Morocco, but months later, Rosse-Emile revealed via WhatsApp that they were in Syria. Kadmiry became an IS fighter, had his Australian citizenship revoked in 2019, and remains in a Kurdish jail.
Rosse-Emile has been in a refugee camp since IS's territorial defeat in 2019, with some of her children born in Syria having died. Reports indicate her daughter Amirah faced frostbite risks in the al-Hawl camp in 2020. Other Australian women in similar situations include Nesrine Zahab, Aminah Zahab, Sumaya Zahab, Kawsar Abbas, Zeinab Ahmed, Zahra Ahmed, Janai Safar, Hodan Abby, Kawsar Kanj, and Hyam Raad.
Government Response and Ongoing Debate
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke recently noted that one of the women is subject to a temporary exclusion order on national security grounds, potentially barring her entry for two years, though her identity is undisclosed. Sara urges caution, arguing that even if Rosse-Emile claims to renounce extremism, her ingrained mentality poses a threat.
"This wasn't her mentality when she was 14, this was when she was a married woman, and it wasn't something that she made up on the spot," Sara explained. "Even if she doesn't want to do that anymore, she would still have that mentality and we don't want that here." She feels compelled to speak out, fearing the consequences of silence. "If anything happens and I didn't say anything, how can I face any of my family?" she asked.
*Name has been changed.
