This is an accepted version of this page Amanda Lindhout (born June 12, 1981)[1][2] is a Canadian humanitarian, public speaker and journalist.

[4] In 2013, she released the book, A House in the Sky: A Memoir, in which she recounts her early life, travels as a young adult, and hostage experience.

[6] She and her two brothers (Mark and Nathaniel)[6] were raised by their mother, Lorinda, with Amanda spending much of her youth reading National Geographic Magazine.

She later moved on to an assignment in Baghdad, Iraq in January 2008,[10] where she worked on a freelance basis for Iran's state television Press TV.

She wrote that she was instead taken to the Sadr Party Headquarters and questioned about her political affiliations, and that she was able to call an Iraqi friend who ensured they were released within the hour.

[14] At the time of Lindhout's abduction in Somalia, she was reportedly not affiliated with any news organization other than Alberta's Red Deer Advocate.

According to Lenfant, the news agency later decided to confirm that Lindhout was on a freelance assignment for it because France 24 representatives "thought it would be better if she could be seen to be part of the structure of a larger company".

[4] The two were kidnapped in lieu of two more experienced journalists (one of whom was National Geographic Magazine reporter Robert Draper), who had that morning beefed up their security before leaving to examine a refugee camp.

[27] On June 12, 2015, the RCMP announced the arrest of Ali Omar Ader, in Ottawa, describing him as the "main negotiator" in the hostage-taking of Lindhout and Nigel Brennan.

[29] In 2013, Lindhout released a memoir, co-written with journalist Sara Corbett, titled A House in the Sky recounting her experience as a hostage.

She indicated in the book that her motive for travelling to Somalia in the midst of an insurgency was the dearth of competition from other journalists covering the region, as well as the possibility of documenting unique human interest stories.

Once held hostage, she alleged that she and Brennan were forcibly separated since they were not married, and that she was subsequently repeatedly tortured and raped by her teenage captors.

[33] Eliza Griswold of The New York Times said of the book that, "Her tale, exquisitely told with her co-author, Sara Corbett, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, is much more than a gonzo adventure tale gone awry – it's a young woman's harrowing coming-of-age story and an extraordinary narrative of forgiveness and spiritual triumph.

In the months she lived in darkness and in chains, she held onto her sanity by escaping to memories of her world travels, picturing the vivid images in the old issues of National Geographic she found while dumpster-diving as a child.

The event was the largest gathering of former violent extremists ever to take place and was organized by Google, the Council of Foreign Relations and the Tribeca Film Festival.

She asked Mohamed how he justified the injuries and deaths to civilians while a member of the insurgent group, but he instead addressed the political motives that drove him to join the outfit.

[47] At the 2013 One Billion Rising event in Calgary, Lindhout spoke for the first time in frank terms about her victimization in Somalia at the hands of her teenage captors.

Lindhout currently serves as the organization's Executive Director, with Ahmed Hussen, the president of the Canadian Somali Congress, acting as the Fund's co-director.

[52] In response to why she established the Foundation despite her kidnapping, Lindhout told the CBC's The National "You can very easily go into anger and bitterness and revenge thoughts and resentment and 'Why me?' ...

Accompanied by CBC's The National, who filmed a documentary about her titled Return To Africa,[59] Lindhout visited the Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya to research a $60-million educational project for children in the camp, many of whom fled the conflict in southern Somalia.

However, her efforts were criticized by Badu Katelo, Kenya's commissioner for refugees, who suggested that the best solution to the issue was through military intervention in Somalia's conflict zones.