The attacks of September 11th, 2001 had a profound impact on Beverly Giesebrecht. Unlike most of her Canadian peers, Beverly felt the attacks were more than justified, and she quickly converted to Islam and began work on a website with clear pro-Taliban leanings. She traveled to Egypt for two years to study the Qur’an before finally ending up in Pakistan where she met up with them. The meeting, however, appears to have gone differently from what she hoped for. Rather than take her into their fold, the Taliban kidnapped her and are holding her hostage. She is now pleading for her life, and the Canadian government is trying to rescue her.

Beverly’s problem was she failed to realize what she was getting herself into. Her interpretation of the events, and of the organizations involved, was quite obviously flawed. The Taliban are not ‘freedom fighters’ that combat the oppression of the West; they are a militant religious organization which hold extreme conservative views, and as far as they are concerned, Beverly’s worth to the cause is as a hostage, not a peer.

She is now begging for her life, only a few days away from the deadline. I have to wonder the degree of commitment the Canadian government has to save her. They are, more than likely, unwilling to negotiate with the Taliban, and they may feel that Beverly betrayed her country in favor of Islam. Regardless of what she may have said and done, it’s obvious her comprehension of the issues were flawed. She had hoped to ally with Al Qaeda to fight ‘Western oppression’, but in truth her allies have no need for an educated woman in their ranks. They would rather a 300k paycheck.

I have a feeling this story will end in tragedy. The Canadian government is unlikely to bust their asses saving her, and the Taliban will quickly grow tired of their hostage. If the situation is resolved, I have the feeling that Beverly may look well to lose her pro ‘terrorist’ leanings. I just hope she has that chance.