Award-winning British journalist Yvonne Ridley who converted to Islam after being captured and let off by the Taliban, says she was never gripped by Stockholm Syndrome — of hostages becoming loyal to their captors.
Her defence of Islam and criticism of the West’s persecution of Muslims were borne out of a proper understanding of the reality.
Ridley has been through the killing fields of Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine and is certain that the West as well as the despots in the Arab world are to blame for all the bloodshed.
“I was never bullied into changing my religion. I had to share my cell in Jalalabad with six other Christian charity workers. So, there was no chance of my getting Stockholm Syndrome,’’ she said here on Sunday.
Clad in the traditional hijab, the 49-year-old who now works for Iran’s Press TV was here to address a public meeting organised by the student’s wing of Jama’at-e Islami. This was also part of her worldwide campaign to clear misconceptions about Islam.
Ridley has worked for The Sunday Times, The Observer, Daily Mirror and The Independent as well as BBC Radio and TV and CNN. However, after her conversion, Ridley has been virtually shunned by the western media.
Her tryst with the Taliban happened in 2001 when she was working for Sunday Express. Ridley sneaked into Afghanistan by putting on a burqa, but was caught and jailed along with six others for 10 days.
On the sixth day, an imam visited her and asked whether she would like to convert. She replied that she couldn’t make a life decision in prison, but promised that if she got out she would read the Quran. Back in Britain, she read up the Quran which surprised her and inspired her to convert to Islam in 2003.
Equal justice in Islam
Ridley is an ardent peace campaigner having shared the platform with high profile personalities like Jesse Jackson. She says the western world and the media had demonised Islam so much that Muslims enjoyed very little freedom of movement in these countries. Much of the religious orthodoxy surrounding Islam had been blown out of proportion and there was prejudice against the religion.
“It’s a shocking time, hard time for Muslims and a challenging time as well. I embraced the religion because I found a sense of equal justice in it,’’ she said.
Ridley has authored two books, In the hands of Taliban and a fiction, Ticket to paradise. She is also a national council member of George Galloway’s RESPECT party.