© 2024 WSIU Public Broadcasting
WSIU Public Broadcasting
Member-Supported Public Media from Southern Illinois University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

U.S. journalist poses as Afghan refugee to accompany interpreter on dangerous path to asylum

Author and journalist Matthieu Aikins (Kiana Hayeri)
Author and journalist Matthieu Aikins (Kiana Hayeri)

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.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

As a WSIU donor, you don’t simply watch or listen to public media programs, you are a partner. By making a gift, you help WSIU produce, purchase, and broadcast programs you care about and enjoy – every day of the year.