A farewell letter posted on Facebook by an Australian woman now facing slavery charges has cast doubt on her claims that she was unwittingly trapped in Islamic State territory. Kawsar Abbas, 53, also known as Ahmad, was charged with slavery offences after landing in Melbourne on May 7 with her two adult daughters and eight grandchildren. The three women were among four alleged ISIS brides who returned to Australia last week after seven years in the Al Roj refugee camp in Syria.
Background of the Case
Abbas left Australia for Turkey in March 2014 to join her husband, Mohammed Ahmad, who ran a charity in Syria. The Australian Federal Police suspected the charity was funneling money to Islamic State, which the couple denies. They previously claimed they only crossed into Syria for their son Omar's wedding and were blindsided when they realised he had pledged allegiance to IS.
Facebook Post Raises Questions
However, a Facebook post on Abbas's profile from March 7, 2014—days before she travelled to the conflict zone—suggests she planned a lengthy stay overseas and makes no mention of a wedding. In the farewell post to family and friends, she wrote: 'Our unity has expanded into Syria and will only expand further by Allah's will.' She ended the post hoping they would be reunited in 'Jannat al-Firdaws,' the afterlife in Islam.
The post also read: 'May Allah bless you all, as I prepare to leave to see my loved ones once again alhamdulillah... I leave behind the loved ones that have been there for me in my darkest moments.' She added, 'I ask Allah that you find this deed weighing heavily on your scale... May Allah give me the ability to be there for all of you.' Abbas uploaded a photo of a card indicating she was gifted money for the trip. Loved ones commented, with one saying, 'You're awesome,' and another, 'Beautifully spoken Kawsar, you're an inspiration Mashallah Tabarakallah.'
Journey to Syria
Posts from March and April 2014 show Abbas and her family were reunited in Turkey, sightseeing in Istanbul and visiting Syrian orphans. Mohammed Ahmad told the ABC in 2019 that the family crossed into Syria only for Omar's marriage to a local teenage girl. He did not explain why Omar, then 18, was living in the Syrian city of Manbij. Ahmad claimed the family became stuck in Syria in September 2014 when IS attacked the last exit in Kobane. Omar and another son, Ahmad, have since died in the conflict, along with five other extended family members. Omar allegedly kept a Yazidi slave, whom Ahmad said was treated well.
Charity Links
Ahmad travelled to Syria in 2012 to perform aid work with his charity, Global Humanitarian Aid Australia (GHAA), registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission. The charity was set up to help Syrian orphans, but police suspected it funneled money to IS, which Ahmad denies. The sister of Australian suicide bomber Adam Dahman helped fundraise for GHAA, and Australian jihadist supporter Kassab followed it on social media. GHAA also worked closely with IHH, a charity accused in Germany and Israel of having links to Hamas. Ahmad announced GHAA's closure in January 2015 'due to circumstances beyond our control,' but its accounts were believed closed by the Australian government. Its registration was revoked in 2017 due to missing financial statements.
Alleged Slave Trading
Since being detained at Al Roj camp after the fall of IS in 2019, Abbas and her daughters repeatedly pleaded for Australian government help to return home. They left the camp in late April but were held in Damascus by Syrian authorities for two weeks. Another ISIS bride, Janai Safar, 32, landed in Sydney on May 7 and was charged with entering a declared conflict zone and joining a terrorist organisation. Abbas and her daughter Zeinab were charged with enslavement and using a slave; Abbas also faces charges of possessing a slave and engaging in slave trading. Daughter Zahra is not accused of any crimes.
Court documents allege Abbas enslaved, possessed, and used a slave in multiple locations in Deir ez-Zor province between June 2017 and November 2018. She is also alleged to have been complicit in buying a female slave for over AU$14,000 and knowingly keeping the woman in her home. Abbas and Ahmad allegedly committed these acts 'intentionally or knowingly as part of a widespread or systemic attack directed against a civilian population.' They faced Melbourne Magistrates' Court separately in early May and were remanded in custody until June, when they will apply for bail. The alleged victim, a Yazidi woman, was taken from her home as a pre-teen in 2014 and sold as a slave to ISIS families in Iraq and Syria. The Daily Mail has contacted Abbas for comment.
