Cindy Wockner on her chats with Islamic State bride Shadi Jabar

AT first reporter Cindy Wockner thought she was chatting to an American ISIS bride. But her exclusive discussion was in fact with an Australian who became the world’s chief recruiter.

Sunsets, food ... and firearms. This picture of the sun setting in Syria was posted to the Telegram account of Shadi Jabar.

MY first contact with the woman calling herself Umm Isa al Amriki was in December last year. At the time I believed she was American. That’s what the analysts and researchers monitoring her social media handles believed.

I messaged her asking to chat. “How may I help you?” she replied.

When I told her I was reporter and I wanted to talk to her about the lives of the women living in the Caliphate in Syria she replied: “Whatever you are looking for is in dawlah videos. They speak the truth. If you would like to know further read the seerah of the Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessing of Allah upon him) and the Quran. You will find your Answers in them.”

Later, in January, when I asked again if we could chat further, she suggested research into Islam and women could help me and replied: “Hi, you are welcome. If you have studied and seeing that you are curious about women in Islam you probably have looked into how Muslim women were at the time of the Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) especially how they were treated at his time. Also you must have looked into how Muslim women should be. If you have not done that research then am sure if you do you will get your Answers.”

Screen grabs from the Telegram account of Umm Isa Al Amrikiah also known as Shadi Jabar (the sister of Farhad Jabar who shot and killed Curtis Cheng). Telegram is an encrypted web based messaging system.

By February the replies were more frosty when I asked if any of the Australian women in Syria might like to chat with me: “No one wants to chat with u. The women live their normal lives here only differences is that they live under the Quran and Sunnah with constant bombardments from you kuffars (non-believers).”

She questioned why I remained silent and did not speak against the kuffars who were bombing the Islamic State.

EXPLORE MORE: Shadi Jabar’s poisoned posts

DELVE DEEPER: How to snare an ISIS bride

THE RESPONSE: War on terror turns to hearts and minds

“You claim you are innocent from this yet you don’t do anything when women here who just live their normal lives are killed. It is these women who are innocent.”

And in response to my question about Australian women: “The Australian women will not speak

with you they have better things to do. You want to speak with them so you can spy? So you can go ahead write lies and spread it on the news?”

At this stage it was still not clear that Umm isa al Amrikiah was indeed Shadi Jabar from Sydney.

An Islamic State instructional pamphlet on the correct use of the hijab garment was posted on

Asked if any of the Australians and the children of Tara Nettleton, who had reportedly died, and

Khaled Sharrouf wanted to come home to Australia, she snapped: “No one wants to come back why would they? Even if they do they will be jailed anyway. The hospitals here take priority on the women who made hijrah than those native ones. Ofcoz you will not say the truth. You think we will believe you? Do far non of you hs said the truth.”

At the time it was reported in the media that the Sharrouf children wanted to return to Australia.

She suggested that if I was so concerned about the women and children I should go out and protest.

After February 11 the woman who we now know was Shadi Jabar was no longer conversing with me.

Originally published as Cindy Wockner on her chats with Islamic State bride Shadi Jabar