Malika Oufkir: freedom fighter. (fun fearless females 2002).(Brief Article)(Interview)

When Malika Oufkir spent her 24th birthday locked in a rat-infested prison cell in the middle of a Moroccan desert, she never dreamed she'd live to tell about her hellish experience. But in 1999, at the age of 46, this awe-inspiring survivor published her memoir--Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail, a harrowing account of her two decades behind bars. Oufkir and her family were imprisoned in 1972 after her father was executed for leading a failed coup attempt against the king of Morocco. Following his death, Malika, her mother, and her five siblings were sent to a series of jails. They spent their long days devising an escape plan. Using a sardine tin, a spoon, an iron bar, and her bare hands, Malika spent three months digging a tunnel to freedom. Once the family was safe, she decided to share their story. As soon as the book was released, it rocketed to the top of best-seller lists around the globe.

Whose idea was it to escape?

My mother's. I dug the tunnel every night when the guards were asleep, and by the time I was done, I had ...