Canadian Journalist Beverly Giesecrecht Deserves Our Sympathies

Canadian-US Politics and News That Matter

1 December 2009 255 views No Comment

The release of Canadian freelance journalist Amanda Lindhout has brought a sense of relief to her friends and family and Canadians across the nation. After 15 months in captivity in Somalia by their kidnappers, Ms. Lindhout, along with her fellow colleague, Australian photographer, Nigel Brennan, will be home for Christmas.

The scenario, however, is much more bleak for Canadian journalist Beverly Giesecrecht. Not only does she lack the family support base, she seems to have lost the support the from the majority of Canadians.

That is because the 53 year-old West Vancouverite became an Islamic convert since the 9/11 tragedy.

Since her conversion, Ms. Giesecrecht started a pro-Islamic website called JihadUnspun in her hometown. She spent two years in Egypt studying the Koran and developed a vast network with people involved in the Jihad movement including many Taliban members through her journalistic work.

In November 2008, Ms. Giesecrecht was kidnapped in the town of Sra Dargah in Pakistan near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border; a region where conflict is rife. Videos later surfaced showing Ms. Giesecrecht pleading for the payment of her ransom. She claimed she would be beheaded if payment was not made by the end of March 2009; a deadline that has long passed.

Fortunately, it was reported that her longtime friend, Glen Cooper has managed to contact her as late as July 2009; albeit “in very poor health”. However, no news has emerged since then, and her current status is a mystery.

Sadly, the common attitude towards Ms. Giesecrecht’s torturous tribulation seems to be that it was well deserved: an attitude that a naïve woman who willingly entered a bear cage does not deserve sympathy for being mauled by the bear. There are Canadians who view this terrible news as karmic justice and little sympathies can be found for the woman.

In contrast to Ms. Lindhout, whose a strong grassroot support base can be reflected through the numerous websites dedicated to the issue, online petitions and Facebook groups, Ms. Giesecrecht has none of that.

Although Ms. Lindhout and Ms. Giesecrecht symbolize two extreme political ideals: Western democracy and Islamic Jihad, they are one of the same, in that they shared the same conviction to seek and broadcast truth to the world (whatever that may be). Going so far as to surrendering a comfortable lifestyle in Canada surrounded by, sometimes meaningless, luxuries; a decision that not many of us are willing to accept. At best, they characterize the essence of the engine that powers progress by seeking truth against all odds. At worst, they were naïve in exchanging a life of luxury for truth in such a wretched world. This same set of criticisms could be applied to ancient philosophers who have installed turning points in the history of humanity, many of which suffered persecution, such as Socrates, Aristotle, Condorcet and the likes.

The controversial point may be what they perceived as truth (and indeed should be actively examined), but not what they did to seek it. I do now wish a beheading on my worst enemy, let alone, a fellow Canadian who emanate more integrity than anyone I know.

Provided that the story is how it appears (contrary to various conspiracy theories), I am glad that the Canadian government is taking steps to work with the Pakistani government to secure her release.

I hope there would be more public support. Whether her perception of truth was right from the beginning or not, one should be given a chance to change. As Ms. Amanda Lindhout claimed, “I have to sit down and re-evaluate my whole life.”

Why isn’t the public giving Ms. Giesecrecht that chance?

- Other Canadians being held overseas