Kidnapped by the Taliban
A Story of Terror, Hope, and Rescue by SEAL Team Six
By Dilip Joseph with James Lund
Published by Thomas Nelson – W Publishing
“The AK-47s were the elephants in the room—we all knew they were there. In most cultures it wouldn’t be considered polite to bring assault rifles into a home. Security concerns apparently trumped manners on this night.” -Dilip Joseph, M.D., Kidnapped By The Taliban.
Slow start to what turned out to be an inspiring read, once I waded through the obligatory backstory. As the title suggests, Kidnapped By The Taliban begins in the midst of author and medical doctor Dilip Joseph’s captivity by Taliban terrorists in Afganistan. The story then moves into the history of Joseph’s work in Afganistan, including his introduction to Morning Star, the affiliated NGO. Predictably, the story turns immediately back to the beginning of Joseph’s capture, and continues through his violent release.
From the title alone, I did not initially expect this to be an inspiring book. However, when all was said and read, Kidnapped By The Taliban left me feeling encouraged by the selfless huminatarian work being initiated by Christians around the world, not solely for the country of Afganistan. Doctor Dilip Joseph describes his work with the people of Afganastan, and how that work led to his captivity by Taliban terrorists. He details the personality of his captors, giving the reader unique insight into the lives of those we generally only hear portrayed as animals. The reader is left to feel the emotional hurts of these people, although Joseph is unapologetically condemning of their violent actions. He strikes a nice balance between an empathetic connection to these terrorists as real people, and the unjustifiable evil in the actions they choose to follow.
Even though his Christianity is not the central theme of this book, Joseph is not shy about voicing his Christian beliefs. And though it is clearly a safety concern, Jospeh makes it known, even to his Muslim captors, that he believes in the One True God.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
