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Former Taleban Captive Ridley Plans To Convert To Islam Insha'Allah
Posted on Tuesday, August 27 @ 22:34:17 ICT
Afghanistan
By Mohammed Ayub Khan, IOL Chicago correspondent
CHICAGO, August 27 (IslamOnline) - British journalist Yvonne Ridley has
announced that she plans to convert to Islam. IslamOnline talked to Ridley
about her religious background, her encounters with the Taliban, and her
decision to convert to Islam.
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.
* IslamOnline: 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.
* IslamOnline: 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.
* IslamOnline: 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!
* IslamOnline: 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.
* IslamOnline: 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.
* IslamOnline: 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".
* IslamOnline: 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. [Note by Voice Of
Taliban: As Ms Ridley herself states, she has never spoken to an Afghan
woman. This statement reflects mis-information from the biased Western Media]
* IslamOnline: 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!
* IslamOnline: 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... 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.
Yvonne Ridley is author of In The Hands of the Taliban published by Robson
Books in the UK.
http://www.islam-online.net/english/News/2002-08/27/article55.shtml
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