That Christiane Spirit

I’m sure every journalist, whether print or TV, dreams to be like Christiane Amanpour, CNN’s chief international correspondent based in London. She’s where the action is, unmindful if she’s risking life and limb, such as, among other earth-shaking events, the riots in France, the first democratic elections in Iraq, the death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, the election of Pope Benedict XVI, the Darfur conflict in Sudan...name it, Christiane has been in the midst of it.

The fearless, multi-awarded Christiane has interviewed the world’s great leaders, including Syrian President Bashar el Assad, French President Jacques Chirac, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Mahmoud Abbas (the first Palestinian Prime Minister), King Abdullah of Jordan (and his late father, King Hussein)...name a world leader, Christiane has come face-to-face with him.

According to the bio-data furnished Conversations by CNN, Christiane (who graduated summa cum laude from the University of Rhode Island with an AB Journalism degree) began working with the company in 1983 as an assistant on the network’s international assignment desk in Atlanta and has since worked in CNN’s New York and Frankfurt bureaus. Before joining CNN, Christiane worked at WJAR-TV, Providence, R.I., as an electronic graphics designer. From 1981 to 1982, she worked as a reporter, anchor and producer for WBRU-Radio, also in Providence.

A nine-time Emmy awardee, Christiane achieved a reputation as a world-class correspondent with her reporting on the dramatic changes occurring in central Europe during 1989 and 1990. During her assignment in the Persian Gulf, she covered the Gulf War, from Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 to the US bombing of Baghdad and the Kurdish refugee crisis on the Iran-Iraq border that persisted after the ceasefire. She also covered the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 and subsequent war in Tbilisi. In Dec. 1992, Christiane briefly left the former Yugoslavia to report live from the shores of Mogadishu, Somalia, as the US troops launched Operation: Restore Hope.

Christiane has just finished another landmark one-hour special report entitled The War Within which explores how the London commuter attacks of July 7, 2005 and the foiled airline terrorism plot in August 2006 have forced a spotlight on the growing tensions among the Islamic community of all ages. (The War Within premiered yesterday on CNN, with replays tonight at 7 and tomorrow, Jan. 22, at 4 a.m.)

CNN arranged a 20-minute exclusive phone interview for Conversations with Christiane in connection with her latest special report. The STAR is the first and only Filipino newspaper Christiane has given an interview to. (A few years ago, GMA 7’s Jessica Soho interviewed Christiane in Pakistan. Conversations asked from Jessica, Korina Sanchez and Karen Davila one question each to add to Conversations’ own list of questions.)

What a privilege... talking to the world’s TV-newscast superstar!

"How are you?"

Honestly, I’m nervous.

"Oh, you shouldn’t be."

I’m just kidding. I’m okay, I’m okay! I’m in Manila. And you?

"I’m in London. I’m here at CNN."

I watched The War Within on an advance copy given to me by CNN.

"You did. Good!"

What do you think causes the complex issues that are, as you said in your report, starting to tear apart the large British Muslim community?

"While investigating this situation, what we found was that there are several things happening right now. First and foremost, just like Muslims all over the world, the Iraq War has radicalized the Muslims in Britain. That also goes for the ongoing situation in Palestine, the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people and the occupation of the territory – that is continuing to radicalize the Muslim people."

Oh, yeah?

"The war on terror, for instance, is being perceived as a war against Islam and that Islamophobia seems to be growing certainly in European countries – the fear and hatred of Muslims. It is causing a great deal of anxiety amongst the Muslim community in England."

Oh, really?

"Now, what we found was that there’s a small minority of dangerous, violent extremists. Even though they are very small, on July 7, 2005, they acted on their radical position and went into the tube station and onto buses and blew themselves up and killed a total of some 52 people. This was a big shock to all of us here in England. How could homegrown, British-born, British-bred and British-raised young men do that? So we decided to try to figure out what it is, and we were surprised, as I’ve said, how radicalized people have got by the current state of world affairs, most particularly, as I’ve said, about Iraq. We were also interested to find that the extremists and those who preached violence and jihad are a small minority."

Is that so?

"Yes. But because they have seized the public debate and they dominate the public debate; they speak the loudest and they get the most media attention. The media love it when people say outrageous things, so they rush to these extremists, they turn their cameras on, they give them the spotlight, they put their radical/hysterical speeches on the television and this, in turn, raises the level of fear and anxiety in the country."

Anything else that you found?

"What we found on the other side, though, was that there’s a much larger group of mainstream moderate Muslims who themselves fear for their lives and who were born and raised in England and who have spent most of their lives here and who are trying to do their best in their own individual ways to balance the debate and to stand up and say that, no, Islam is not about hatred, war, violence and killing...that Islam is actually about peace and love and tolerance. Of course, it may sound strange when you see and feel the violence created in the name of Islam. It’s very clear to these moderate Muslims that the (minority extremists) are simply distorting their religion and using it for their own sad goal. What’s very heartening is that in various Muslim communities, whether it’s the activist Hanif Kadar (a youth worker in the London suburb of Walthamstow) or whatever group, they are doing their best to try to bring back the religion to the sensible center."

Do you think this war is winnable? And which side do you think will win in the long run, the Muslim majority or what you call the extremist minority?

"Well, I believe that in the long run the majority will win. That’s what will happen but I’m not sure how long it would take. The important thing is for the majority to stand up and make a decision no matter what the risk and to say, ‘No, you crazy guys preaching hatred and violence, you’re not preaching the word of God. You may say that you are but you’re not; you’re distorting the word of Allah.’ Some of the preachers in England are beginning to do that in their mosques. But it does take a commitment to take a desire and a willingness to stand up and not be afraid of the consequences. If enough people are ready to do that, then hopefully the majority finally will get their voices heard. You know, verses in the Quran have been taken out of context to justify violence. This is something that’s been done in the Christian faith, in the Jewish faith and in just about any faith. They take just everything they like and distort it to justify whatever ends they like."

How does the situation affect non-Muslims in UK and other parts of the world?

"Well, I think that non-Muslims have been terrified by the portrayal of Muslims. They are terrified by the very real violence that Muslims caused, for instance on 9/11 and on the subways here in England on July 7, 2005 and by the suicide bombings in various other parts of the world. So, I think they are very afraid of that and they are trying to understand why that’s happening. But what we found, obviously, was that there are legitimate grievances by Muslims around the world. Very legitimate grievances. But there’s another way other than violence to air these grievances. And non-Muslims may be trying to figure out: What is this other way? What’s another way to solve and resolve these legitimate grievances?

How does this assignment compare with your previous ones? Is this one of your toughest assignments?

"I don’t think it’s tough. I mean, it’s not tough in the physical-danger sort of way. It’s tough intellectually because I think it’s a big challenge of our time. As reporters, we have to get the story right so that our readers and our viewers can really understand the truth of what’s going on and not just the sensationalist view of the tabloids."

How does the recent execution of Saddam Hussein impact on this situation in UK and Muslim communities in other parts of the world?

"You can imagine how disgusted some people were by what looked like a sectarian lynching. Whatever you think of the death penalty, the way that Saddam was executed was a miscarriage of justice. It was undignified and inappropriate. And I think again that resonated with people who feel that Islam is under attack and, of course, it resonated most particularly within Islam."

Do you think there will be a backlash from the execution?

"Probably in Iraq. Yes, there already has been a backlash in Iraq."

(From Jessica Soho): What’s your opinion on the Saddam’s execution?

"No, I didn’t watch it. I refused to watch it. The way that it happened, it was like a snap video. When some of my friends have been executed and the videos were posted on the web, I never watched them. Saddam Hussein was not a friend but I think that there’s nothing to be gained from watching the video of his execution. I read the transcript of the appalling jeering and the undignified way that the death penalty was carried out and I think that it doesn’t do justice to a new and democratic Iraqi state. I think that Iraq is in deep danger of falling into another dictatorship."

(From Karen Davila): Have you ever worn a bullet-proof vest during your coverage?

"Yes, because I have to, especially in places like Iraq where there’s a deliberate targeting of journalists not just by bullets but by suicide bombers and roadside bombs."

(From Korina Sanchez): How do you manage being the journalist that you are and being the wife of a government cabinet member? (Christiane is married to Jami Rubin, former advisor to Pres. Bill Clinton.)

"Well, my husband is no longer a cabinet member. As you know, my husband is a Democrat and with the Democrats not in office, he’s not in office either. Beyond that, when we were married and he was in office, there were no conflicts of interest. I was very tough, reporting very accurately on the foreign policy of his administration as well."

As a journalist, I am curious. How do you manage to draw out the best and the worst from your interviewees?

"Well, that’s a compliment. I hope I do. It’s just something that I try to do and I work very hard at it. I take into it very seriously. I try to do as much preparation as I can. And I try to draw out information rather than score points."

Have you ever been intimidated by an interviewee?

"Always! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Always? But you seem to be fearless.

"Making the impossible possible. That’s always scary."

Who would you consider your most memorable interviewee?

"I have had many memorable interviews. I think I was very pleased with my interviews with various Iranian presidents such as the Reformist President Muhamad Khatami. I also got the first interview with Iran’s current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; I was the first one to put to the public the policies that he’s espousing right now. And...what else? I’ve interviewed Yasir Arafat, other Israeli leaders, President Bill Clinton...There’s still so many people I’d like to interview."

Like who?

"Like Kim Jong Il (of North Korea), Osama bin Laden and George Bush."

What would you ask Kim Jung Il and Bin Laden once you are face-to-face with them?

"You have to wait and see."

Any Philippine leader that you want to interview?

"You know, I haven’t had the pleasure of going to the Philippines and I’m looking forward to doing that. I know that the Philippines is a lovely place; I know that you have an interesting politics, culture and religion; and I think that I would very much like to visit your country. I know many, many Filipinos from my travels around the world."

Who do you consider the greatest living person?

"Well, there are many, many examples of great people. One of the most inspiring political leaders must be Nelson Mandela because he suffered terribly due to the brutal apartheid. He was jailed for nearly three decades and he came without any vengeance. He has been the global role model for tolerance and harmony, and bringing the whites and blacks together. He managed to do it peacefully. It could have gone very badly and very violently. But by the strength of his character and his wisdom, he taught the world a very valuable lesson."

Away from work, how do you spend your time? How do you handle stress?

"Oh, I have lots of friends. I have a lot of family who I’m always in constant contact with. And I go to a lot of museums, I travel. Mostly, I spend much time with my husband and that gets me away from the stress of work."

If you were not a TV journalist, what would you be?

"I think I would try to work for cultural understanding. That’s what I would try to do."

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