I have converted to Islam, says hostage freed after six years
Stephen Mcgown says he tried his best to cope in captivity, but was sad not to be free before mother died
THE British-south African hostage Stephen Mcgown, who was held by alqaeda in Mali for nearly six years, said yesterday he had converted to Islam in the Sahara desert to help cope with captivity.
Speaking in Johannesburg just 10 days after being released, Mr Mcgown said he had been well treated but was distraught to have not be freed before his mother died.
Mr Mcgown, 42, sat next to his wife Catherine as he spoke for an hour to reporters, saying he had no idea if any ransom was paid, and telling how he was sometimes held in handcuffs and chains at night with two other hostages.
“I did my best to see the best in a bad situation,” Mr Mcgown said. “I didn’t want to come out an angry person and be a bigger burden on my family.
“Sometimes you are miserable and you want to fight everyone (but) I did not want to become a mess. I want to come home a better person.”
Mr Mcgown, still sporting a long beard and hair, said he had been better treated after converting to Islam, and was given better clothing and food.
“Before the desert, I was a Christian. I entered (Islam) of my own accord,” said the ex-hostage. “I see many good things in Islam. It requires a very good character, a very strict character.” Mr Mcgown admitted to being “in the dark” over world events in the past six years as the hostages had only had a radio for a short time and no books in English. He paid tribute to his mother who died in May, saying she was “an amazing lady and I can imagine the difficulties she went through”.
He said he built a simple hut of grass and sticks to survive the cold desert nights when he often had only one blanket, adding that he feared for his life three times in the first three months after he was captured in 2011.
Mr Mcgown was kidnapped at a hotel in Timbuktu in Mali’s north along with Johan Gustafsson, a Swede, and Sjaak Rijke, who is Dutch, both of whom were subsequently released.
The South African government has insisted that no ransom was paid to secure Mr Mcgown’s release, on July 29, but some reports have suggested $4.2 million (£3.2 million) was handed over. Imtiaz Sooliman, head of the Gift of the Givers charity which helped to free Mr Mcgown, said the kidnappers at first demanded €10million (£9million) for each of the three hostages. He said he was not involved in any payment.
Mr Mcgown had worked in the Johannesburg branch of South African bank Investec, in its asset management arm, in the early Noughties. He had already left the bank on travelling to Mali in 2011, The Daily Telegraph understands. Mr Mcgown, Mr Gustafsson and Mr Rijke were abducted by al-qaeda’s North African affiliate Al-qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Mr Rijke was freed in April 2015 by French special forces, while Mr Gustafsson was released in June this year.