Yvonne Ridley, a British reporter about TALIBAN Capture by the Taliban : Yvonne Ridley came to prominence on 28 September 2001, when she was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan whilst working for the Sunday Express.[9] In the days before the start of the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, refused an entrance visa, she decided to follow the example of BBC reporter John Simpson, who had crossed the border anonymously in a burqa. She entered on 26 September and spent 2 days undercover in Afghanistan. It was on her return, traveling with her guides, that she was uncovered when the donkey she was on bolted and her camera was seen by a Taliban soldier.[9] She was accused of being a spy, which carried a death sentence, and at the very least faced jail for illegally entering Afghanistan. The British high commissioner to Pakistan, Hilary Synnott, met the Taliban ambassador in Islamabad, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, and opened negotiations for her release.On 8 October she was released and escorted to the border, where she was handed over to the Pakistani authorities.[13] It had been feared that this would be jeopardised by the bombing of Afghan targets as part of the War in Afghanistan that had commenced the previous day. She revealed that she had kept a concealed diary inside a box for a toothpaste tube and in the inside of a soap wrapper. She had been on hunger strike throughout her captivity. She described her experience as terrifying but she was not physically hurt. After her release, her guides Jan Ali and Nagibullah Muhmand, as well as his five-year-old daughter Basmena, were held in prison in Kabul. At least three of Muhmands relatives were also arrested for aiding Ridley after the Taliban developed the film in her camera. Conversion to Islam : During her captivity she was asked by one of her captors to convert to Islam; she refused, but gave her word she would read the Quran after her release. Once freed, she kept this promise and read the Quran looking for an explanation of the Talibans treatment of women, only to find there wasnt any. Instead she decided it was a magna carta for women, saying, the Koran makes it clear that women are equal in spirituality, worth and education. What everyone forgets is that Islam is perfect; people are not. She converted to Islam in the summer of 2003, claiming that her new faith has helped put behind her broken marriages and a reputation as the Patsy Stone of Fleet Street.
Posted on: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 00:17:33 +0000
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