US court shows Smith is lucky to be Irish

On Thursday, a Washington judge ruled that an Alabama woman who joined Islamic State was not a US citizen. Hoda Muthana, who left Alabama in 2014, has admitted she “deeply regrets” her decision and wants to return to America with her son.

The ruling leaves the 25-year-old and her son in limbo in Syria. It is not necessary to have a vivid imagination to picture the circumstances facing Muthana, and hundreds more like her, including Irish Islamic State supporter Lisa Smith and her daughter Rakeya. Even if you think that these women are the architects of their own difficulties, you could hardly argue that these circumstances will do anything to encourage anyone to reject extremism, to embrace a live-and-let-live philosophy.