Many HonestReporting readers have wondered about the anti-Western views of Robert Fisk (pictured). It seems that no less than Osama Bin Laden had similar perceptions of The Independent’s veteran Mideast correspondent. In a BBC interview, Fisk recounted an attempt by Bin Laden to recruit him over to Al-Qaida:
It was at the third meeting and when I arrived in his tent and he came over to me with a big smile which I didn’t like and said: “One of our brothers had a dream that you arrived on a horse dressed as a Muslim Imam and wearing a turban – this means you are a true Muslim.”
I felt at once that he was trying to make a recruit of me and that he thought that because I was a fair reporter that he would be able to bring me across to his side.
I was quite horrified by this and tried to think how best to reply, because after all I was surrounded by al-Qaeda people.
What I said was: “I am not a Muslim. I am a journalist and my job is to tell the truth.”
He realised I was rejecting him and said: “But that is the same as being a good Muslim.”
I breathed a big sigh of relief.
