Interview with Yvonne Ridley

The story of British freelance journalist and author YvonneRidley is fascinating. Ridley, an experienced and well-respectedjournalist, was the chief reporter for The Sunday Express andhad worked for several newspapers, including The SundayTimes, The Independent, and The Observer . But in September2001 she became a household name when captured by theTaliban in Afghanistan. On her release, she famously told theawaiting press that her captors had treated her with “courtesyand respect.” This was not the expected response, and FleetStreet subsequently vilified her.Her decision to honor a promise made to an imam while inAfghanistan led her to study and, to her own surprise, embraceIslam in June 2003. This did little to improve her popularity withthe press. Calling upon the resilience and determination that hadmade her such a good journalist, she moved from London toQatar to take up a position as senior editor at al-Jazeera’s soonto-be-launched English website. After just 5 months, and underrather mysterious circumstances, she was sacked. This promptedRidley to write her first novel Ticket to Paradise. Ridley hassince returned to England and is now a prominent Muslimactivist and anti-war campaigner.