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Yvonne
Ridley, Taliban Captive and Soon-To-Be Muslim, Speaks to IslamOnline
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Yvonne
Ridley
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British
journalist Yvonne Ridley made international headlines last year when
she entered Afghanistan and was held captive by the Taliban.
She
was eventually released and went on to write about her experiences
in a book entitled In the Hands of the Taliban published by
Robson Books in the U.K.
She
is again in the news after announcing that she plans to convert to
Islam. In this revealing interview, conducted August 26th, 2002,
with IslamOnline’s Mohammed Ayub Khan she talks about her
religious background, her encounters with the Taliban and her
decision to convert to Islam.
Interviewed
by Mohammed Ayub Khan
*
IslamOnline: First of all I would ask you to tell us a little
about your religious background?
-
Yvonne Ridley: I was brought up a protestant, in the
Church of England. I sang in the church choir and was the Sunday
school teacher in my village in the north of England.
*
Did you have any knowledge about Islam before your encounter with
the Taliban?
-
Nothing more factual than would fill the back of a postage stamp. Of
course I’d subscribed to all the myths about women being
subjugated and how it was an evil and violent religion full of
fanatics.
*
Are you planning to convert to Islam or have you done so already?
-
I am on the road to conversion. Reports that I have already
converted are premature.
*
What led to your conversion to Islam?
-
I made a promise to a Taliban cleric that I would study Islam - if I
was released. He had just asked me if I wanted to convert and I was
terrified to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ because either response could
have drawn accusations that I was fickle or insulting and therefore
be stoned!
*
If there is one thing you find most attractive in Islam, what would
that be?
-
The real inspiration has been meeting and getting to know all the
sisters. Without exception I have found them to be highly
intelligent, opinionated, vocal, motivated, switched on to
international and political affairs and be highly supportive. Of
course this blows the myth that Muslim women are shy, retiring,
timid creatures who are rarely seen and heard.
*
Tell us a little about your days in Taliban captivity?
-
I was terrified. Not only had I been captured by the most brutal,
evil regime in the world [President Bush’s words, not mine] but
they hated women as well! I never thought I would see the sun set
that first day. There were several other times when I thought I
would be flogged or executed. There was one occasion when I lost my
temper and spat and swore at my captors while being held in Kabul
Prison. I thought that might provoke a hostile reaction but they
looked hurt and told me I was their “guest” and their
“sister”!
After
several days of interrogation at the Jalalabad Intelligence HQ, I
was told that they believed I was an American spy and that was quite
unnerving. They also gave me a wedding dress before a cleric asked
me if I wanted to convert to Islam and that was scary. All I can say
is that some man in Afghanistan has had a pretty lucky escape!
On
the whole, they treated me with great courtesy and respect despite
my adverse reaction to being locked up. I had entered their country
illegally without a passport and visa so, yes, I was totally in the
wrong and could easily have been charged and put on trial. My
treatment by the most brutal, evil regime in the world, is a total
contrast to the treatment of those men being held in Camp X-Ray.
*
Were you able to meet any of their women?
-
The only women I met while I was in captivity were six Christian
charity workers, three female prison officers and two Afghan women
who were locked up for trying to sell a carpet to strange men. Apart
from the Christians, two Americans, three Germans and an Australian,
none of the others spoke in English so I never really got a chance
to communicate with any native women. However, the prison governor,
a fearsome-looking man, used to refer to his wife as “the boss”.
*
If you were to meet your Taliban captors again, what would you tell
them?
-
I have! I took my daughter Daisy, aged nine, on a holiday to
Afghanistan in May and we traveled all over. We walked in to an
eating place four hours drive from Kabul and there I saw some
Taliban and al-Qaeda people. I recognized three of my captors and
was horrified. However, one came over and talked to my translator
and asked what I was doing returning to Afghanistan. He asked if I
recognized anyone and I said only if they cared to be recognized,
otherwise it was none of my business. We were all nervous as he
walked away and then he returned some minutes later and said: “We
liked what you said about us when you returned to London. Thank you
for telling the truth.”
I
nodded nervously and couldn’t wait to leave, but I was later told
that my safety is assured if I happen to bump into them again. The
person I would really like to sit down and talk to is Mullah Omar,
the Taliban’s one-eyed spiritual leader who ordered my release on
humanitarian grounds. I would want to know why they treated their
women so badly.
*
What are your views on women’s rights in Islam as compared to
secular Western society?
-
The first thing I scrutinized when I read the Qur’an was property
and divorce laws. I was amazed. I thought it could have been written
by a Hollywood divorce lawyer! In fact, that’s probably from where
they got their inspiration. I was also pleased to see that women are
equal with regards to education and spirituality, but the Qur’an
does acknowledge we have the extra burdens of childbirth,
breast-feeding and periods. I like to think we are the deluxe model
of the human form since we have so many additional functions!
*
How is your family coping with your conversion?
-
Initially my family was shocked. You’d think I’d applied to
become the grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
*
Any message you would like us to deliver to the Muslim World?
-
September 11 was the best and worst thing that happened to Islam. I
know that the confidence of many brothers and sisters has been
shattered, but be proud of who you are and what you stand for. Do
not be browbeaten into diluting your beliefs in the hope of
ingratiating yourself with those in power. Beware of false prophets,
especially those who hang round the gates of power pretending to
espouse views on your behalf that they say are in your interest. The
Christians have a good saying: “The nearer the pulpit, the bigger
the sinner!” The wonderful thing about Islam is you have a direct
link with God. You don’t need a conduit or a middle person. Peace
and love to all.
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