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British journalist Yvonne Ridley made international headlines and became the story 15 years ago when she was arrested by the Taliban in Afghanistan shortly after the horrific events of 9/11. She was on an undercover assignment for the Sunday Express when she was captured and held for the next 11 days as the war in Afghanistan was unleashed.
It was a terrifying experience which saw her change her views about war and religion. She gave an undertaking to her captors that if they released her she would read the Qur’an and study Islam on returning to London.
From a prison cell in Kabul she experienced the sheer terror of being bombed by America and Britain as cruise missiles rained down on the capital. However, while holding on to other westerners the Taliban surprised everyone and released her.
During the next two years, in between studying Islam, she became a committed peace activist and joined the anti-war movement. In the meantime, what started out as an academic exercise turned into a spiritual journey and she converted to Islam from Christianity.
For the last 10 years she has experienced islamophobia and racism on a scale she never expected to encounter in her life as a privileged white woman. Yvonne will be coming to Truth Juice Hull to share her experiences resulting from being a captive to convert.
