During Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll’s captivity in Iraq, her father begged for her release, saying to her captors that she would tell “their” story.
Yeah, I thought the awful truth is that she probably would see their side. I was wrong about Ms. Carroll. Blogger Bill Roggio not only urges us to read her report on her captivity but defends her against people who thought what I thought:
After her capture and subsequent release three months later, the blogosphere was ripe with accusations and assaults on Jill’s character. She was described as an insurgent, terrorist sympathizer, ‘anti-war’ and anti-American. She was savaged for the video taken at Dulaimi’s headquarters on the day of her release, because she wore the hijab and said those who imprisoned her treated her kindly. Those who wrongly criticized Jill fail to realize that she was still in fear for her safety when she made the tape.
During my short time with Jill, nothing she said or did gave the slightest impression that she deserved the slanders attributed to her. Jill was honest, brave, and respected by the Marines who met her.
The first of Carroll’s articles affords a fascinating look inside the world of Iraqi kidnappers.