Jolie King and Mark Firkin set out to travel to the Middle East to disprove the western narratives about the unstable region. They haven’t been blogging much about it though. Probably because they have been sitting in an Iranian jail for the past ten weeks.
They are not the first travel bloggers to run afoul of the sheltered we are the worldview. In January we reported on Jay Austin and Lauren Geoghegan, who had a similar view. They cycled about posting beautiful pictures with stories of friendly people. Until five Islamic radicals in Tajikistan ran them down and knifed them to death on the side of a road.
Jay and Lauren’s murderers probably believe they are doing good. Removing infidels from the mortal plane. People who do not agree with them or believe as they do. Which has another irony?
Murder is evil. But most humans and all their complexities (with a few exceptions) don’t start with murder. They begin with intolerance of other people’s ideas.
Jolie King and Mark Firkin, “were arrested for reportedly flying a drone without a permit. They’ve been imprisoned ever since.”
Ten Weeks, so far.
And it looks like they have become political prisoners. A source told the BBC that King was told Iran is holding her as part of a potential prisoner exchange with Australia.
I’m not a travel blogger but a Totalitarian regime jailing you for what you might think is a minor infraction looks bad. It also proves that these places are or at least can be what the people you don’t want to believe say about them.
Can we expect them, assuming they live to tell the tale, to share the experience of becoming a western political prisoner used to free known or suspected terrorists?
Ignore the warning, travel to the middle east. you might live long enough to help free mass murderers.
Ah, to be idealist, young, and stupid.
Image | Geller Report
