Posted on Feb 16, 2022
U.S. journalist poses as Afghan refugee to accompany interpreter on dangerous path to asylum
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Here & Now listeners may remember Matthieu Aikins, the New York Times reporter who joined the show from Afghanistan after the ISIS bomb blast outside the Kabul airport in August, continued to provide updates on the country throughout the fall.
Today, he joins host Scott Tong to talk about his new memoir, "The Naked Don't Fear the Water." The book chronicles his unlikely decision to pose as an Afghan refugee to help his interpreter "Omar" escape the country in 2016 at the height of the refugee crisis.
It's a story of smugglers and police, hope and terror, luck and ingenuity. And also one that raises questions about what it means to be a journalist and what it means to be a friend.
Today, he joins host Scott Tong to talk about his new memoir, "The Naked Don't Fear the Water." The book chronicles his unlikely decision to pose as an Afghan refugee to help his interpreter "Omar" escape the country in 2016 at the height of the refugee crisis.
It's a story of smugglers and police, hope and terror, luck and ingenuity. And also one that raises questions about what it means to be a journalist and what it means to be a friend.
U.S. journalist poses as Afghan refugee to accompany interpreter on dangerous path to asylum
Posted from wbur.org
Journalism
Refugees
Immigration
Afghanistan
Posted 2 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
"DAVE DAVIES, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. I'm Dave Davies in today for Terry Gross. Our guest, Matthieu Aikins, is a Canadian-born journalist who has reported on Afghanistan and the Middle East since 2008. He was in Afghanistan from June through November last year, covering the chaotic withdrawal of American forces and its aftermath. He had the lead byline for The New York Times story, reporting that the drone strike in Kabul, which U.S. military officials claimed had taken out a car bomb threatening American troops, was, in fact, mistakenly targeted at an aid worker, killing him and nine others, including seven children.
For his first book, Aikins tells the story of joining his long-time Afghan interpreter and driver in his 2016 journey to flee the country along smugglers' routes and reach Europe. To accompany his friend, Aikins had to ditch his own identity and passport and assume the role of an Afghan refugee. Aikins says his ethnic background makes him look uncannily Afghan. The experience gave Aikins an intimate look at some of the Afghans, Syrians and others risking everything to start new lives through this massive movement of humanity. The book is a story of tough choices and, at times, harrowing experiences trekking over land and sea.
Matthieu Aikins is a contributing writer for The New York Times and a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. His reporting has won numerous honors, including the George Polk and Livingston Awards. His new book is "The Naked Don't Fear The Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees."
Matthieu Aikins, welcome back to FRESH AIR. Let's start with a reading from the book. This is a moment that I've asked you to share with us. It'll give us a sense of the writing and one of the more troubling moments that you encountered in this long journey. You want to just set up what's happening here?"...
"DAVE DAVIES, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. I'm Dave Davies in today for Terry Gross. Our guest, Matthieu Aikins, is a Canadian-born journalist who has reported on Afghanistan and the Middle East since 2008. He was in Afghanistan from June through November last year, covering the chaotic withdrawal of American forces and its aftermath. He had the lead byline for The New York Times story, reporting that the drone strike in Kabul, which U.S. military officials claimed had taken out a car bomb threatening American troops, was, in fact, mistakenly targeted at an aid worker, killing him and nine others, including seven children.
For his first book, Aikins tells the story of joining his long-time Afghan interpreter and driver in his 2016 journey to flee the country along smugglers' routes and reach Europe. To accompany his friend, Aikins had to ditch his own identity and passport and assume the role of an Afghan refugee. Aikins says his ethnic background makes him look uncannily Afghan. The experience gave Aikins an intimate look at some of the Afghans, Syrians and others risking everything to start new lives through this massive movement of humanity. The book is a story of tough choices and, at times, harrowing experiences trekking over land and sea.
Matthieu Aikins is a contributing writer for The New York Times and a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. His reporting has won numerous honors, including the George Polk and Livingston Awards. His new book is "The Naked Don't Fear The Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees."
Matthieu Aikins, welcome back to FRESH AIR. Let's start with a reading from the book. This is a moment that I've asked you to share with us. It'll give us a sense of the writing and one of the more troubling moments that you encountered in this long journey. You want to just set up what's happening here?"...
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