Tareena Shakil, the first British woman convicted of joining Islamic State, is attempting to reinvent herself as a TikTok influencer. The 36-year-old, who fled to Syria with her toddler son in 2014, now has around 50,000 followers on the platform, where she dishes out relationship advice from her car.
Shakil was dubbed the 'Towie jihadi' by tabloids after her parents described her as a normal fan of the reality show The Only Way is Essex. She spent less than three months in Islamic State territory before escaping, realising she had made a terrible mistake. Those months led to a prison sentence and deradicalisation programme, and have defined the course of her life.
Now glamorous and heavily made-up, Shakil says people do not expect her to have the life she does. 'When you’ve nearly died as many times as I have, you get a thirst for life,' she told a journalist. Her TikTok content mixes humour and dating tips, often drawing on her own experiences without directly referencing her past.
Growing up in Burton upon Trent, Shakil’s father was frequently in prison, and she was raised around violent relationships. She studied psychology at university but dropped out after marrying at 20, hoping for her 'happy ever after'. The marriage was turbulent and left her isolated. 'That’s probably where my lack of insight for danger comes from,' she said.
Shakil now believes in second chances and is trying to rebuild her life, including contact with her son. Her story raises questions about what drives people to extremist groups and what it means to live an ordinary life after such experiences.
