Canadian Woman Ammara Amjad Convicted of Joining ISIS in Syria
A Brampton, Ontario jury convicted 32-year-old Ammara Amjad on Tuesday of participating in the activities of a terrorist group.
Amjad, a Canadian woman who spent four years in Syria living under Islamic State rule, now faces a potential ten-year prison sentence following a two-week trial in Ontario.
The path to conviction
Amjad, a former York University student, traveled to Turkey in March 2015 before crossing into territory held by ISIS. According to the Crown, she left her life in Ontario to join the group. She remained in the region until she was captured by U.S.-backed Syrian-Kurdish forces near Baghouz in March 2019.
The trial served as a judicial test for Canada, which has struggled to prosecute citizens accused of supporting overseas terrorist entities. While European and American courts have secured numerous convictions, Canadian authorities have frequently cited the difficulty of gathering admissible evidence from active conflict zones. A U.S. woman was convicted by a U.S. court as recently as October 27.
The Crown argued that Amjad was not a passive observer but a willing participant. Prosecutors detailed how she married two ISIS fighters, Bilal Khan and later Hamza Parvez, and acted as a mother to the next generation of the group. “She answered ISIS’s call,” the Crown said during closing arguments on Friday, as reported by Global News.
Lawyer argues bias in prosecution strategy
The defense did not present evidence or call Amjad to testify, instead challenging the sufficiency of the Crown’s case. Her lawyer, Ayeman Kenaway, urged jurors to avoid convicting her based on her location or her choice of spouse. “Do not convict her because of the place where she lived. Do not convict her because of who she married,” Kenaway told the jury.
Prosecutors relied on a cache of digital evidence, including thousands of WhatsApp messages found on a phone seized at her parents’ home. These records allegedly showed Amjad expressing support for the group and soliciting money from family members in Canada. The Crown also presented documentation regarding her second husband, Parvez, whose citizenship was revoked by the United Kingdom after he joined the terror group.
The RCMP only became aware of Amjad’s activities after her capture in 2019, as her long absence made tracking her original departure difficult. Investigators confirmed she had renewed her Canadian passport shortly before her 2015 departure.
A woman who spent four years with ISIS and married two of its fighters is found guilty of terrorism, a jury in Ontario, Canada rules. Pakistani born Ammara Amjad, 32, is the first woman to go on trial in Canada for her role in the Islamic State in Syria. pic.twitter.com/K5VCkQ1mWs
Canadian legal precedents
Amjad is one of several Canadian women repatriated from detention camps in Syria. Between 2021 and 2023, the Canadian government brought nine women back to the country, yet only three have faced charges. Oumaima Chaouay of Montreal previously pleaded guilty to participating in ISIS and received a sentence of one day in addition to time served.
The rules and precedents for these cases are still unclear and difficult to interpret. Kimberly Polman, a British Columbia resident, is also awaiting sentencing on November 30 after pleading guilty to participating in the activities of a terrorist group.
“'Allah has written that victory is near,' Ammara Amjad wrote, according to the RCMP, which found her messages on a phone seized during a search of her parents’ home north of Toronto." This week in a Brampton courtroom, Ammara Amjad became the first Canadian woman, living under… pic.twitter.com/dKZIeVIyhF”
Awaits sentencing after prolonged bail period
Amjad, who had been on bail since 2023, is currently awaiting her sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for February 2. The result highlights the difficulties law enforcement and courts face in handling people who have fought in extremist conflicts.
The court has scheduled Amjad’s sentencing for February 2.