Who is Yvonne Ridley?

British-born, award-winning journalist Yvonne Ridley is well known in the Muslim world for her outspoken views and defense of Islam. She endeared herself to the Muslim community in Britain when she reverted to Islam 30 months after making international headlines when she was captured by the Taleban on an undercover assignment in Afghanistan. She was a senior reporter of the Sunday Express at the time, having spent nearly 10 years in Fleet Street working for several prestige titles including The Sunday Times, The Observer, Daily Mirror and Independent on Sunday...

Sr Yvonne set out as a regional journalist nearly 30 years in her native North East. She has also worked on projects as a broadcaster, producer and presenter on programs for BBC TV and radio, CNN, ITN and Carlton TV traveling to Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine. A founder member of Women in Journalism, she is also a promoter of women’s rights, and is also a founder member of the Stop The War Coalition and the RESPECT political party.

In her spare time Sr Yvonne travels throughout the UK and across the globe promoting peace and the anti-war message. She has also delivered lectures on issues relating to Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Kashmir and Uzbekistan, Women in Islam, the War on Terror and journalism at Ivy League universities across the US, Australia, South Africa and the Middle East.

Sr Yvonne is a founder member of the Friends of Islam, an All Party Parliamentary Group. She is also a member of the National Union of Journalists, the International Federation of Journalists and the Society of Authors. She has written two books called In The Hands of the Taleban and Ticket to Paradise and is currently writing and researching for two other titles.

In The Hands of the Taleban has now been updated and is being published in both French and English for sale in leading bookshops soon.

She is a patron of the UK-based pressure groups Cage Prisoners and Hhugs which seek to help and highlight the plight of political prisoners around the world as well as the financial and emotional needs of their families. She also devotes much of her time to humanitarian work and supports several charities.

She also works as a political presenter and journalist for the global, English language, 24-hour news station Press TV as well as being a regular media commentator and writer on Muslim-related issues.