The Michael Calderin Show- today's special guest is Matthew Schrier!!

Information obtained from Wikipedia and the Official Matthew Schrier website. Matthew B. Schrier is a Jewish American (former) photographer who escaped from al Qaeda. Schrier is from Deer Park, New York, and attended Hofstra University, where he was an English major who also studied film production. He entered Syria with the help of the Free Syrian Army. Schrier captured images of FSA rebels fighting forces of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. In late December 2012, Schrier was captured by Jabhat al-Nusra, the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. He was among a collection of kidnapped American journalists held by Syrian jihadis. He strategically converted to Islam in March 2013 as a survival tactic to get better treatment, a tactic that ended up working.  In July 2013 Schrier became the first westerner to ever escape from al Qaeda.  His story has been covered by multiple media outlets and publications such as: National Geographic, 60 Minutes, the New York Times, FOX News, and CNN. Since returning home, Matthew has devoted himself to working with the US Military to educate American troops about survival after capture by extremists. His book "The Dawn Prayer (Or How to Survive in a Secret Syrian Terrorist Prison): A Memoir" was released April 2018. www.matthewschrier.com