Yvonne Ridley
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Yvonne Ridley (born 23 April 1958) is a British journalist, author and politician who holds several committee positions with the
Alba Party The Alba Party is a Scottish nationalist and pro-independence political party in Scotland. The party was founded in February 2021, with Alex Salmond (a former first minister of Scotland) announced as party leader shortly thereafter. Salmond lau ...
in Scotland. She was a former chair of the National Council of the now-defunct Respect Party. Ridley made global headlines when she was captured by the
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
in 2001 after the events of 9/11 and before the start of the U.S.-led war. Two years later she converted to Islam. She is a vocal supporter of Palestine, which she took up as a schoolgirl in her native County Durham. She is an avid critic of Zionism and of
Western media Western media is the mass media of the Western world. During the Cold War, Western media contrasted with Soviet media. Western media has gradually expanded into developing countries (often, non-Western countries) around the world. History Th ...
portrayals and foreign policy in the
War on Terror The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...
, and has undertaken speaking tours throughout the
Muslim world The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. I ...
as well as America, Europe and Australia. She has been called "something close to a celebrity in the Islamic world" by the journalist
Rachel Cooke Rachel Cooke (born 1969) is a British journalist and writer. Early life Cooke was born in Sheffield, and is the daughter of a university lecturer. She went to school in Jaffa, Israel, until she was 11, before returning to Sheffield, and atten ...
, and in 2008 was voted the "most recognisable woman in the Islamic world" by Islam Online.


Biography

Ridley was born in the working class mining town of
Stanley, County Durham Stanley is a former colliery town and civil parish in County Durham, North East England. Centred on a hilltop between Chester-le-Street and Consett, the town lies south west of Gateshead. Stanley was formerly divided into three distinct sett ...
, the youngest of three girls, and had an upbringing in the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
. She began her career at the local ''Stanley News,'' which was part of the Durham Advertiser Series. From there she moved to
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
and worked for The Sunday Sun and the Newcastle Journal for Thomson Regional Newspapers as well as The Northern Echo which was part of the Westminster Press group. She attended the
London College of Printing The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It specialises in media-related subjects including advertising, animation, film, graphic design, photography and sound arts. It has approximately ...
. As a journalist, she was employed by ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...
'', '' The Independent on Sunday'', ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
'', the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...
'' and the '' News of the World''. She was deputy editor and acting editor of ''
Wales on Sunday Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in 20 ...
'', and was chief reporter when the '' Sunday Express'' sent her to
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
after 9/11. In one interview she mentions having "a reputation as the ' Patsy Stone of Fleet Street'" that she was happy to have left behind with her conversion to Islam. Her passion for
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
, anti-imperialist causes predates her conversion; she joined the Labour Party as a teenager before resigning over the decision to invade Iraq in March 2003.


Capture by the Taliban

Ridley was captured by the
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
in Afghanistan on 28 September 2001, and held for 11 days, while working for the ''Sunday Express''. In the days before the beginning of the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, after being refused an entrance visa, she decided to follow the example of
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
reporter John Simpson, who had crossed the border anonymously in a
burqa A burqa or a burka, or , and ur, , it is also transliterated as burkha, bourkha, burqua or burqu' or borgha' and is pronounced natively . It is generally pronounced in the local variety of Arabic or variety of Persian, which varies. Examp ...
. She entered on 26 September, and spent two days undercover in Afghanistan. It was on her return, travelling with her guides, that she was uncovered when the donkey she was on bolted and her camera was seen by a Taliban soldier. She was accused of being a spy, which carried a death sentence, and at the very least faced jail for illegally entering Afghanistan. The publisher of
Express Newspapers Northern & Shell (holding company name Northern and Shell Network Ltd) is a British publishing group, founded in December 1974 and owned since then by Richard Desmond. Formerly a publisher of pornographic magazines including ''Penthouse (magazine ...
,
Richard Desmond Richard Clive Desmond (born 8 December 1951) is a British publisher, businessman and former pornographer. According to the 2021 '' Sunday Times Rich List'', Desmond was the 107th richest person in the United Kingdom. He is the founder of Nor ...
, sent a team a negotiators to talk directly with Taliban officials at the Afghan embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan. It soon became clear the regime wanted neither money nor aid but proof that Ridley was a bonafide journalist. The British high commissioner to
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
, Hilary Synnott, met the Afghan ambassador in
Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...
, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, and asked for her release. Following her release on 8 October, Ridley was escorted to the border, where she was handed over to the Pakistani authorities. It had been feared that this would be jeopardised by the bombing of Afghan targets as part of the
War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...
that had commenced the previous day. Ridley revealed that she had kept a concealed diary inside a box for a toothpaste tube and in the inside of a soap wrapper. She had been on hunger strike throughout her captivity and described her experience as terrifying but she was not physically hurt. After her release, her guides Jan Ali and Nagibullah Muhmand, as well as his five-year-old daughter Basmena, were held in prison in Kabul. At least three of Muhmand's relatives were also arrested for aiding Ridley after the Taliban developed the film in her camera. All were subsequently released without charge or harm. Ridley had made several public pleas, including one via the BBC's Pashto and Persian Service, urging the Taliban to release the prisoners on the same humanitarian grounds the regime had shown her. She said later she was careful not to refer directly to the men as her guides as they had previously agreed not to admit any involvement in the event of capture. In March 2020, in recognition of her humanitarian work in the field of journalism, she was awarded an honorary doctorate at the International Academy of Diplomatic Action in
Bern, Switzerland german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...
.


Conversion to Islam

She said in her book, ''In the Hands of the Taliban'', that, while she was in captivity, she was treated with respect by the men of the Taliban and was, subsequently, amazed by their courtesy. All men that she came in contact with lowered their gazes (to her), which left her bewildered. She had initially thought they had already decided to have her executed and therefore could not look her in the eyes. Only later did she discover they were showing her a sign of respect. While in captivity she gave an undertaking to read the
Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
and study Islam if they let her go. Fulfilling the promise and setting out on what she described as "an academic exercise" she said she was shocked to discover "the Quran makes it clear that women are equal in spirituality, worth, and education. What everyone forgets is that Islam is perfect; people are not." She converted to Islam in the middle of 2003, claiming that her new faith has helped put behind her broken marriages and embrace "the biggest and the best family in the world."


Subsequent career

After her conversion, she delivered lectures on issues relating to
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
,
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Kashmir,
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
, women in Islam, the
War on Terror The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...
, and journalism at universities across the US, Australia, South Africa and the Middle East. She has authored and contributed towards a number of books called ''In The Hands of the Taliban'' and ''Ticket to Paradise''. A later book entitled ''Torture: Does It Work'' was published by Military Press Studies in 2016. In 2019 she authored the book ''The Rise of the Prophet Muhammad: Don't Shoot the Messenger'' published by academic house Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Ridley was a patron of the UK-based pressure groups
Cageprisoners Cage is a London-based advocacy organisation which aims to empower communities impacted by the War on Terror. Cage highlights and campaigns against state policies, developed as part of the War on Terror. The organisation was formed to raise awa ...
until December 2014, the European President of the International Muslim Women's Union, and the Vice President of the European Muslim League based in Milan and Geneva. She is a member of the
Stop the War Coalition The Stop the War Coalition (StWC), informally known simply as Stop the War, is a British group established on 21 September 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks, to campaign against what it believes are unjust wars. The Coalition has c ...
, for which she has spoken at its rallies, and was a member of the Respect Party, for which she stood in parliamentary elections before resigning both leadership and from the party in early 2014.


Writing, speaking and advocacy

In December 2001, Ridley's memoir ''In the Hands of the Taliban'' was published, which includes an account of the 10 days she was held captive. In it, she expressed worries that officers from Mossad, the Israeli secret service, or from other intelligence agencies, were plotting to have her killed in an effort to boost public support for the war in Afghanistan, having been shown incriminating documents by a journalist for the Arabic channel, Al Jazeera. Ridley left her job with Express Newspapers, and announced she would return to Afghanistan to work on a sequel to her book. The sequel has not yet materialised, although she produced a programme for
BBC Radio Four BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...
called ''The Return''. This was after she returned in 2002 and then the following year as part of a travel feature for ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
'' with her daughter Daisy. Ridley was employed in 2003 by the
Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
-based media organisation
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
, where, as a senior editor, she helped launch their English-language website. In November of that year she was dismissed because Al Jazeera found her "overly-vocal and argumentative style" was incompatible with the station's programme. Her termination of her employment was also attributed to her campaigning for journalists' rights on the Al Jazeera English channel and website. She brought a case for unfair dismissal against the organisation, winning that case and the subsequent appeals which took four years. She was awarded 100,000
Qatari riyal The Qatari riyal (sign: QR in Latin, in Arabic; ISO code: QAR) is the currency of the State of Qatar. It is divided into 100 dirhams ( ar, درهم). History Until 1966, Qatar used the Indian rupee as its currency, in the form of Gulf rupees. ...
s, which equated to around £14,000. In December 2003, she released a novel, ''Ticket to Paradise'', based on the backdrop of 9/11. She began presenting ''The Agenda With Yvonne Ridley'', the
Islam Channel Islam Channel is a UK-based, free-to-air, English language, Islamic-focused satellite television channel and online media platform funded by advertising and donations. It was founded in 2004 by Mohamed Ali Harrath (born 1963), a Tunisian act ...
's politics and current affairs programme, in October 2005. In 2007, the Islam Channel was fined £30,000 by Ofcom after a series of breaches relating to her show and another show. She resigned in April 2007, complaining that she had effectively been dismissed after relations between her and the channel's CEO, Mohamed Ali Harrath broke down. She brought another case of unfair dismissal and sex discrimination. In April 2008, Ridley again won her case and was awarded £26,000 damages against the Islam Channel. Ridley is a freelance journalist and presenter, and for several years regularly worked for
Press TV Press TV (stylised as PRESSTV) is an Iranian state-owned news network that broadcasts in the English and French languages owned by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the only organization legally able to transmit radio and TV broadc ...
, the Iranian English-language 24-hour news channel. She hosted a weekly current affairs and politics show called ''The Agenda''. She also wrote a column for the now-closed ''Daily Muslims'', an online newspaper for North American Muslims. It was in this paper that an obituary calling Chechen militant Islamist
Shamil Basayev Shamil Salmanovich Basayev ( ce, Салман ВоӀ Шамиль ; russian: Шамиль Салманович Басаев; 14 January 1965 – 10 July 2006), also known by his kunya "Abu Idris", was a senior military commander in the Cheche ...
a ''shaheed'', a Muslim honorific for "martyr", was published. In May 2008, in an assignment for Press TV, she and the film-maker David Miller shot a documentary on the Guantanamo Bay detention camp where they filmed on-site and also interviewed former inmates. Their film ''Guantanamo: Inside the Wire'' was nominated in the 2009 Roma Film Fest in Italy, and in the 2010 Aljazeera International Documentary Film Festival in Qatar. Another film made in 2009 was also nominated in the 2010 Aljazeera festival; ''In Search of Prisoner 650'', directed by Hassan Ghani, claimed that Aafia Siddiqui was held prisoner in secret by the US. Ridley joined the
Free Gaza Movement The Free Gaza Movement (FGM) is a coalition of human rights activists and pro-Palestinian groups formed to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip and publicise the situation of the Palestinians there. FGM has challenged the Israeli–Egyptian ...
in Cyprus in August 2008, as it headed for Gaza to challenge the Israeli-Egyptian blockade. She arrived without incident in Gaza on 23 August. During their brief stay Ridley interviewed Prime Minister
Ismael Haniyeh Ismail Abdel Salam Ahmed Haniyeh; sometimes transliterated as Haniya, Haniyah, or Hanieh (born 29 January 1962) is a senior political leader of Hamas and formerly one of two disputed Prime Ministers of the Palestinian National Authority. Haniy ...
for Press TV. In early 2009, Ridley helped organise and took part in the
Viva Palestina Viva may refer to: Companies and organisations * Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator * Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia * Viva Air Dominicana * VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company * V ...
convoy of around 100 vehicles bearing aid across North Africa to Gaza via the Rafah border. In July 2009, in the wake of Press TV's coverage of the 2009 Iranian presidential election and the subsequent
protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...
, Ridley and other journalists working for Press TV were accused of being stooges for the Iranian regime.


Election candidate (2004–2012)

Ridley was first on the Respect list for the 2004 European Elections for the North East England region, but was not elected; the party placed last with 1.1% of the vote. She stood for Respect in the Leicester South by-election in 2004, where she came fourth with 12.7% of the vote. When she stood there again in the 2005 general election, although she still placed fourth, her share of the vote fell to 6.4%. In the local government elections in 2006, she stood unsuccessfully for a seat on
Westminster City Council Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors. The council is currently composed of 31 Labour Party members and 23 Cons ...
. In the
2012 Rotherham by-election The Rotherham by-election was a by-election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons constituency of Rotherham. The by-election was caused by the resignation of its Member of Parliament Denis MacShane after the House of Common ...
, held on 29 November, Ridley was the Respect Party candidate. ''Respect Yourself'', a leaflet distributed during the campaign which accused the Labour Party of racism, was attributed by Labour to Respect. Labour reported the matter to the police and the returning officer. Respect put the incident down to "dirty tricks"; the leaflet was without the legally required notice identifying the source. In the final result, Ridley came fourth with 1,778 votes or just over 8% of the total votes cast.


Views and opinions

Ridley has given vocal support for Muslim causes involving Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Chechnya,
Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...
and Uzbekistan at anti-war demonstrations. She has been highly critical of Britain's foreign policy. In complaining of patriotic sentiments voiced by British Muslim pop star
Sami Yusuf Sami Yusuf (born 21 July 1980) is a British singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer. He gained international attention with the release of his debut album, ''Al-Muʽallim'', in 2003. As of 2020, he has released eight studio alb ...
, and the enthusiasm for him shown by his Muslim fans, she has said:
How can anyone be proud to be British? Britain is the third most hated country in the world. The Union Jack is drenched in the blood of our brothers and sisters across Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine. Our history is steeped in the blood of colonialism, rooted in slavery, brutality, torture, and oppression.
During a February 2006 meeting at
Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
, Ridley described Israel as "that disgusting little watchdog of America that is festering in the Middle East" and said that Respect "is a
Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
-free party ... if there was any Zionism in the Respect Party they would be hunted down and kicked out. We have no time for Zionists," while both the
Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
and Liberal Democrats were "riddled with Zionists." She described the British politician David Miliband, then foreign secretary (and Jewish), on her blog in 2008 as being "a gutless little weasel who lost more than his foreskin when he was circumcised?" Ridley has compared the Israeli Government to the Nazis and has argued that the
Israeli Parliament The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...
"is on the path of reviving the policies of
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
" and that Israeli politicians are "promoting a Final Solution for Gaza". At the "Muslimer i Dialog" conference in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
in September 2005, Ridley was asked by Danish terror expert Lars Erslev Andersen if she saw it as a problem that militant
Islamists Islamism (also often called political Islam or Islamic fundamentalism) is a political ideology which posits that modern states and regions should be reconstituted in constitutional, economic and judicial terms, in accordance with what is c ...
distribute recruiting videos of Iraqi insurgents killing hostages. She replied that Muslims used the videos at home as an alternative form of news to what she perceived as the propaganda of Western media. At the same meeting, she compared British Prime Minister
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
with Pol Pot. She returned to Copenhagen in May 2006 to take part in an Islam Channel conference on
Islamophobia Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...
and was given a standing ovation after urging Muslims not to "kneel before their enemies" or "kiss the hand that slaps them." In a 2003 speech at IslamExpo, she protested the attention given honour killings and female genital mutilation by the media, which "have nothing to do with Islam". The idea that Islam oppresses women is the biggest obstacle to women accepting Islam, she argued. She herself had believed it, but in keeping her promise to her Taliban captors that she would read the Quran, she "realized I had been lied to", and converted. On the subject of the compulsory hijab, she said: "I was in Iran last year. I know the hijab is a pain for them, but they will get no sympathy from me. It is clear that the hijab is an obligation, not a choice." Ridley complained later that she had been misquoted and said that while the hijab appeared to be an obligation, it was up to individual women to make that choice. Among her controversial opinions is that the Chechen terrorist leader and architect of the Beslan school massacre,
Shamil Basayev Shamil Salmanovich Basayev ( ce, Салман ВоӀ Шамиль ; russian: Шамиль Салманович Басаев; 14 January 1965 – 10 July 2006), also known by his kunya "Abu Idris", was a senior military commander in the Cheche ...
, was a '
shaheed ''Shaheed'' ( ,  ,   ; pa, ਸ਼ਹੀਦ) denotes a martyr in Islam. The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); ...
' i.e. Islamic martyr. When the family of Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi denounced him, Ridley declared this "cowardly" and said she would "rather put up with a brother like Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi any day than have a traitor or a sell-out for a father, son or grandfather". In both articles she renounced violence and said later that critics had chosen to "cherrypick out of context to make mischief". At a meeting of Respect on 6 June 2006, following the Forest Gate raid, Ridley urged all Muslims in Britain to "boycott the police and refuse to co-operate with them in any way, shape or form until the boys are released", including "asking the community copper for directions to passing the time of day with a beat officer." Her comments were labelled as "sheer, undiluted madness" by Shadow Home Secretary David Davis, who added that "To not co-operate would be of no benefit to the Muslim community; no benefit to the police; and no benefit to the security of our country." Respect's only MP, George Galloway, quickly distanced himself from her comments, saying Ridley was wrong and, "Our policy is not that we should withdraw co-operation from the police". Ridley later claimed that she only wanted Muslim leaders to stop co-operating, not the whole community; this is not supported by her comment about not asking directions from the police. The two men were subsequently released without charge and an official apology was later issued to the family some years later by the Metropolitan Police. Initially, Ridley strongly opposed the Western intervention in the 2011 Libyan Civil War, and spoke in a rally opposing it held in central London where she likened asking for Western support to making a pact with the Devil. However, she later travelled to rebel-held territory, where she became a wholehearted supporter of the Libyan rebels' cause and accepted that they had no choice but to ask for help from the West. In 2012, she expressed her strong support for the end of secret evidence used in the SIAC case against the Jordanian Islamist cleric, Abu Qatada, and her opposition to
Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national s ...
Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cabi ...
's plans to deport him on the basis of the secret evidence from the UK. In February 2018, Ridley was invited to speak at the
Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest ...
as part of a debate entitled "This House Believes We Cannot Thrive Without Religion". The invitation was criticised by the Oxford University Jewish Society, who released a statement which claimed that "Ms. Ridley has a long and detailed history of making exactly the sort of comments that cause Jewish students to feel targeted and unsafe on campus". She has been widely criticised as an antisemite. The allegations were disputed by Ridley. In January 2019, she had spoken at
Newcastle College Newcastle College is a large further education and higher education college in Newcastle upon Tyne, with more than 16,000 students enrolled each year on a variety of full time, part time, and distance learning. It is the largest further education ...
at the invitation of trade unions for Holocaust Memorial Day. Her talk highlighted what she described as "the heroic efforts" of Sir Nicholas George Winton who was the British humanitarian who established an organisation to rescue children at risk from
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. She also referenced her interfaith work and respect for the Jewish faith during the aforementioned Oxford Union debate she addressed in 2018.


Denial of entry

In January 2013, Ridley was scheduled to attend the Spring of Islam Conference organised by the
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Jamaat-e-Islami Hind ( ur, جماعتِ اسلامی ہند, abbreviated as JIH) is an Islamic organisation in India, founded as an offshoot of the Jamaat-e-Islami, which split into separate independent organisations in India, Pakistan, Banglades ...
in
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...
, India. She was given all necessary clearances by the external affairs ministry, but was denied a visa at the last minute because of the tense situation in Hyderabad following the arrest of controversial local legislator
Akbaruddin Owaisi Akbaruddin Owaisi (born 14 June 1970) is an Indian politician and leader of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party in Telangana. Since 2014, he has been Member of the Legislative Assembly (India), MLA of the Chandrayangutta (Assem ...
a few days before the event was scheduled to take place. However Ridley, via video conference, addressed three sessions of girls, women and journalists during the conference.


Views on ISIL

Ridley said there is a clear difference between the ideologies of the Taliban and the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
(ISIL, also called ISIS and Daesh), arguing that while the Taliban aims to form an Islamic state within the borders of Afghanistan, ISIL was working to create a border-less Islamic state and disregarded the
sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
of other nations. She also claimed that ISIL recruited by promising financial supports and power, and the Taliban is largely run and supported by Afghan people. These were taken from her 2015 interview with Iranian newspaper '' Shargh''. She wrote a damning chapter on the exploits of ISIL in her book ''The Rise of the Prophet Muhammad: Don't Shoot the Messenger''. In 2013, Ridley offered to swap places with ISIL hostage David Haines, according to reports published later.


Personal life

Ridley has been married five times. She first married when she was 22; her second marriage, to a policeman, lasted seven years; her third husband was Daoud Zaaroura, the CEO of North of England Refugee Service and a former PLO head of intelligence, whom she met in
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
, where she was working on an assignment for the Newcastle-based ''
Sunday Sun The ''Sunday Sun'' is a regional Sunday newspaper on sale in North East England, Cumbria and the Scottish Borders, published in Newcastle Upon Tyne by Reach plc. First published on 31 August 1919 as ''The Sunday Sun'', the name was changed to t ...
'', and they have one daughter, Daisy Ridley, who was born in 1992; her fourth husband, to whom she was married until 1999, was an Israeli businessman, Ilan Hermosh; her fifth husband is an Algerian. During her time on the ''Sunday Sun'' newsdesk, she told colleagues she was an officer in the Territorial Army, based on
Teesside Teesside () is a built-up area around the River Tees in the north of England, split between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The name was initially used as a county borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Historically a hub for heavy manu ...
, specialising in intelligence. She had also told the same to colleagues on ''
The Northern Echo ''The Northern Echo'' is a regional daily morning newspaper based in the town of Darlington in North East England, serving mainly southern County Durham and northern Yorkshire. The paper covers national as well as regional news. In 2007, its ...
'' and repeated it in interviews. Ridley resides in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, where she to moved in 2011, and was a Scottish National Party (SNP) member, largely in her newly-found desire to support and aid Scottish independence. She is also a feminist and a socialist. In 2021, Ridley confirmed that she had left the SNP and joined the
Alba Party The Alba Party is a Scottish nationalist and pro-independence political party in Scotland. The party was founded in February 2021, with Alex Salmond (a former first minister of Scotland) announced as party leader shortly thereafter. Salmond lau ...
, primarily over her disagreement with SNP policy around gender recognition. In January 2014, Ridley was nominated for the Muslim Woman of the Year award at the
British Muslim Awards The British Muslim Awards are an annual award ceremony that honours the success and achievements of British Muslim individuals, groups and businesses. It was established in 2013. Overview The British Muslim Awards was founded by Oceanic Consult ...
. In October 2019 she was nominated for the
Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...
for her work with the non-governmental organisation Protect the
Rohingya The Rohingya people () are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnic group who predominantly follow Islam and reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar (previously known as Burma). Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017, when over 740,000 fled to Bangladesh, an ...
, when she helped a team of South African lawyers take statements of alleged war crimes from refugees who had fled
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
. She was also nominated for her work with Syrian women prisoners who were victims of torture and abuse while held by the Assad regime in Syria. She was portrayed by Hattie Morahan in the film '' Official Secrets''.


See also

*
List of solved missing person cases Lists of solved missing person cases include: * List of solved missing person cases: pre-2000 * List of solved missing person cases: post-2000 See also * List of kidnappings * List of murder convictions without a body * List of people who di ...


References


Bibliography

* ''In the Hands of the Taliban'' by Yvonne Ridley (2001). . * ''Ticket to Paradise'' by Yvonne Ridley (2003). * ''Torture - Does it Work? Interrogation issues and effectiveness in the Global War on Terror'' (2016) * ''The Rise of the Prophet Muhammad: Don't Shoot the Messenger'' (2019)


External links


Yvonne Ridley video interview
on Turntoislam.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Ridley, Yvonne 1958 births Living people English journalists English Muslims Converts to Islam from Protestantism Respect Party parliamentary candidates Muslim writers British people taken hostage British people imprisoned abroad Press TV people People from Stanley, County Durham Kidnappings by Islamists Foreign hostages in Afghanistan Converts from Anglicanism English feminists Muslim socialists Prisoners of the Taliban Proponents of Islamic feminism English socialist feminists