The same day that the kidnappers freed American freelancer Jill Carroll, the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) named her the recipient of its prestigious Courage in Journalism Award.
Shortly after the news broke of Carroll’s release, the IWMF announced that she would receive the Courage in Journalism Award. The award honors women who show an exceptional commitment to journalistic integrity despite imminent danger. The foundation gives the award to three journalists each year, and Carroll is the first recipient of 2006. It includes a cash prize of US$5,000. The foundation will honor the recipients at two awards dinners: one in New York on October 24 and the second in Los Angeles on November 2. The honorees typically spend the time between the dinners traveling across the country, participating in receptions and panel discussions
Source: [Ijnet]
Such a nice gesture and so well deserved. In other development, the Monitor has put up a video of Jill addressing the staff at CSM headquarters in Boston. The video is very touching. I was thrilled to see that Jill is still her old self — a very animated and speedy talker. We love you Jill and can’t wait to see you. |
One thing nobody has discussed anywhere in the Blogworld is this:
Jill Carroll was NO ”journalist”. She was a something else. What do you mean she
was a ”freelance reporter” for the Christian Science Monitor? Who says
so? The Christian Science Monitor has its own reporters who could go
to Iraq to report. She worked before at the Jordan Times. She studied
Arabic in Cairo. She was most likely some kind spy for the CIA or KBG or
Arab CIA, and her “job” as freelance reporter for CSM was most likely
a ”COVER” for her work as a spy or ”message deliverer”. She was no
”freelance reporter”. She had never even stepped foot in the CSM
newsroon in Boston before last week, so how on Earth did she ever get
“hired” for the CSM? Someone somewhere is not telling the truth about
Jill Carroll’s real ”intentions” in the Middle East and her real role as
a quote unquote ”reporter”. She was no reporter. She was using her role
as reporter as a ”cover” for something very scary. Wait till it all
comes out. Soon. Even as we speak…..”
The truth will out at some point. She is a good person, don’t get me wrong. But she was being USED by someone, some group, some intl ring. Many spies work as freelance reporters as cover. Ask William F Buckley, master spy of them all!
I totally agree that Jill’s kidnappers did the wrong thing and I don’t agree with what they did.
Here again I would like to go back to what seems to be my theme of any message I’ve posted on this blog before.
Why are these things happening, what is the root cause of the problem. How can we overcome these challenges.
I wish people would pay more attention to that. Jill’s release came as good news to all of us. But do you truly think the problem is over?
Again, I see the same problems in Nigeria where I live and work. Over the past few months, several foreign hostages have been taken. All oil workers ofcourse that are as innocent as Jill, however, the media seems not to have much interest in that. But again here, the hostges are released and people seem to forget about the problem until another hostage is taken. I think the problem is bigger than one hostage being taken and released.
Cheers
Fadi
Sabrina,
Although I can see where you are coming from (sort of), I have absolutely NO sympathy for Jill’s captors. Jill is an innocent woman and is not responsible for this war. She never should’ve been kidnapped to begin with. No one should be kidnapped!
Many people who read this blog (myself included) do not know Jill personally; however, over the past few months we’ve grown to adore her for one reason or another. Yes, her captors are human beings, but I’m not about to commend them for not killing Jill. No one except for Jill, and whomever she has chosen to share her experiences with, knows truly, how she was treated. Even if they didn’t touch one hair on her head, I still don’t sympathize with her captors, nor do I condone their actions.
I respect your honesty and truly admire you for having such a forgiving heart. Maybe that makes you a better person than me. Who knows? However, I challenge you to ask yourself one thing: If Jill were your daughter or your sister, would you feel the same way you do now? I know that if Jill were my sister, my heart would be filled with even more anger and resentment than it already is. Kidnapping is vile, no matter who does it. What Jill’s captors did is evil and they are, in Jill’s own words, “…criminals, at best.”
Sorry, Sabrina, 2 wrongs don’t make a right. And even if coalition troops MAY be holding Iraqis unjustly, Jill had absolutely nothing to do with this, which makes her kidnapping doubly wrong.
Sabrina,
First, I don’t think anyone really knows how Jill was treated by her captors. But it is irrelevant because just the fact that she was held captive is bad enough. Being help captive for three months kind of sucks wouldn’t you say? Doesn’t matter if they fed her and let her use the washroom etc..Oh and how nice of them not to kill her..
I have no sympathy for her captors. None. I hate everything about this war and I feel great pain for ths Iraqi people but that doesn’t mean I have to feel bad for Jill Carroll’s kidnappers.
Sabrina, what you saying? First of all, dear sister, get over it, there aint no God or god, so your ALL PRAISE to God is silly in this context and more so, when you add “who AIDED” Jill’s release? Which god you be talking about there? Allah or Jehovah or Jesus the Son or Buddha or who? Get your gods straight before you post here. You barking up the wrong tree. God had nothing to do with this. Or, you could say, that our perverse notions of some Middle Eastern godhood had everything to do with this.
2. Are you saying that the kidnappers terrorists have God on their side? That their greivances are bona fide? I think Nero is fiddling now, Sabrina. Listen!
All praise is to God – who aided in Jill’s release. Although I have no tie to Jill Caroll – I still was hurting when she was held captive – and like you all – am ecstatic about her release. I just wanted to post as a sidenote to all of this. Let’s not forget the core of the issue. The main idea: Jill was captured and held in a small room for many days by people who wanted all women captive’s released. The big picture: The captive’s didn’t hurt Jill, they released her, they didn’t do anything to her, they didn’t even get what they wanted, without a doubt – they held an innocent woman for their own reasons. Why is it that when Jill was held captive the media openly portrayed their discontent for the way these captives were acting. However, when they release Jill – no one, and i mean NO ONE comments on how they did not treat her badly, they let her go AND more than that, they didn’t even get what they want! Do remember that these people who held Jill captive are also human, they, like Jill’s family, have families. They have wives, sisters, mothers. From what I read, a wonderful sister of ours is still alive, still smiling. They don’t have the comfort to know that their women are smiling or more than that, even alive. Know that their only means of voicing their opinion is this – by attracting attention to the media. After Jill’s been released – the mayhem for us is over – but their mayhem continues and forever will. Please, readers of this blog – you all seem like kind people – don’t let injustice just walk you by. An eye for an eye – will truly make the world blind. Atleast, speak up – and maybe one day we’ll make a difference. Or will it take another sister’s life to be really taken for us to understand what they’re trying to say…?
Somehow, I bet this won’t be the last we hear of Allen Enwiyah if Jill has anything to say about it. I don’t really know her, but she just doesn’t seem liket the type to let a fallen friend be forgotten
I read somewhere the Monitor was helping his family. I also donated a bit to a collection Fayrouz took up. It’s worth remembering that the one person I’ve seen mention him was Jill, in her statement. If there’s a lack of reference to him in the current round of stories, it’s a product of a media that focuses on Americans and wants a happy homecoming story.
What about Allen’s Family? Who’s helping them?