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The Atlantic dubbed Tania Joya the "First Lady of ISIS" (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) because of her marriage to American extremist and jihadist John Georgelas aka Yahya al-Bahrumi. Georgelas converted to Islam and became one of the Islamic State's top officials during the militant group's war in Syria.
A former jihadi, Tania Joya backtracked on her extremist beliefs after she realized that her participation in the ISIS could pave the way for her children's induction as soldiers.
Tania Joya fled ISIS and is currently settled in Plano, Texas with her four kids. Her story is set to be featured in the upcoming documentary on Discovery+, titled A Radical Life. Directed by Ricki Stern, the documentary will be released on Thursday, October 13, 2022.
Continue reading to learn 5 details about the subject of A Radical Life, Tania Joya.
5 things to know about Tania Joya
Tania Joya's encounters with racism drove her to extremism
Tania was born as Joya Choudhury in London in 1983, to a Bengali-Bangladeshi Muslim family. In the trailer for A Radical Life, Tania says that she was not raised as an extremist but was hungry for power. She recalled experiencing racism during her growing up years in the U.K. In a subsequent interview with The Guardian, Joya stated that she felt pressured to be a "good Muslim girl," adding:
"My family were dysfunctional. When you don’t trust your parents, you learn to distrust authority altogether."
She continued:
"I made new friends but they were very conservative, religious girls and shamed me for being too western. I felt so depressed that I just wanted to become a new person."
During this time, she was exposed to extremist education after one of her cousins, whom she looked up to, was radicalized at her university. Tania later renounced Islam and began attending the Unitarian church in America as part of her campaign to assist deluded individuals returning from the Islamic State.
Tania Joya married John Georgelas to get out of her home
Joya stated that she met John through an online dating site for Muslims that was recommended to her by a group of men she met during anti-Iraq war protests in London. She was 19 years old at the time, and she married John during his first visit to London in 2004. The couple immigrated to the United States soon after and had a son.
Tania Joya's entry and exit into ISIS
John was arrested in 2006 for hacking a pro-Israel lobbying group. Tania told The Guardian that she was financially dependent on him and had no idea she was in an abusive relationship.
Following John's release, the family moved to Egypt, followed by Istanbul. Despite his expressed desire to travel to Syria and fight alongside the Islamists, John refrained due to Tania's reservations. However, he duped her into crossing the border and entering Syria in the name of relocating to Turkey. Tania stated the following in the same Guardian interview:
I was five months pregnant, and just relieved that the children and I could sit down and sleep. By the time the sun rose, we were at a Syrian checkpoint and John warned me not to make a scene.
The lack of drinking water caused by the constant firing that had punctured the water tank resulted in a malnourished Tania, who was five months pregnant at the time. Tania had also reached out to John's parents, pleading with them to contact the FBI. She began refusing to cover her face, which she claimed made her husband uncomfortable.
Finally, John arranged for Tania and her children to flee Syria. But her problems were far from over when the human trafficker who was supposed to transport them to the bus station abandoned them. She said:
The trafficker left us in the middle of nowhere. I was distraught, until a kind Turkish man helped us find our way. I was so grateful to be alive. I wanted my children to live good, fulfilling lives and to give back to the world.
Tania cooperated with American authorities and went to live with her in-laws in Plano, Texas. She was not charged with any crime as a result of her statements about ISIS.
Tania Joya divorced her second husband after she found him to be controlling
After relocating to the U.S., Tania Joya remarried in 2018. She met him on a dating website and admitted that it was her first time dating a man. Tania's marriage was short-lived because Craig Burma was controlling, and wanted her to move to Colorado even though she did not.
It was unclear whether John was still alive at this point, but Tania told The Guardian that she discovered he had remarried after she left Syria. She added:
"Last year I found out that he had died, most likely during US bombing in 2017."
Tania Joya's affair with Van Taylor
Despite her experiences as a "jihadi bride," Tania Joya made a life for herself and her kids in the U.S. However, her first husband was not the only reason why she made headlines. Tania revealed her relationship with US Congressman Van Taylor in 2022. The two met at a PVE event, according to National File.
Tania claims the affair started in October 2020 and lasted until June 2021. They first exchanged numbers, then texts, and then got physical around the same time. Tania revealed that Taylor continued the affair despite her suicidal thoughts and deteriorating mental health.
The news broke just days before a re-election campaign in Plano, Texas. Despite winning his seat, Taylor resigned and apologized for the pain he caused his wife Anne and three daughters as a result of his indiscretion.
A Radical Life will stream on Discovery+ on Thursday, October 13, 2022.
