Mortenson’s half-truths
Greg Mortenson is a mountaineer-turned-humanitarian, a New York Times bestselling author, and a two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
If we are to believe the recent 60 Minutes investigation and Jon Krakauer’s report Three Cups of Deceit, he is also a liar.
Last Sunday, the news programme released a damning report on Mortenson, claiming that some of his most inspirational stories in his books Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools were either exaggerated or completely fabricated. Moreover, a financial statement from the Central Asia Institute (CAI), which Mortenson co-founded in 1996 and is acting executive director of, show that only 41 per cent of funds raised actually went towards schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. According to the American Center for Philanthropy, a charity watchdog, CAI claims that $1.7 million was spent on Mortenson’s “book-related expenses,” more than they spent on all of their schools in Pakistan last year.
Since the report aired, a flurry of news reports, opinion pieces, and statements have been released. Mortenson’s long-time critics feel vindicated. His fans are justifiably angry. And there are some who still cling to the possibility that the presented evidence either isn’t true, or doesn’t matter.
Mortenson’s response to the investigation has been vague and frankly, unsatisfying. In a piece for a local English newspaper, he wrote,
“…the story framed by “60 Minutes” — as far as we can tell — paints a distorted picture using inaccurate information, innuendo and a microscopic focus on one year’s (2009) IRS 990 financial, and a few points in Three Cups of Tea, that occurred almost 18 years ago.”
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle cited another statement, in which he emphasised, “I stand by the information conveyed in my book.”
And yet Mortenson also conceded that one of the disputed events in the book — how he ended up in Korphe, where he built the first of more than 100 schools — was “a compressed version of events that took place in the fall of 1993.”
He also has not addressed the troubling revelation that the 1996 photo of his alleged Taliban kidnappers were, in fact, not Taliban at all. One of the men, Mansur Khan Mahsud, is actually a well-respected research director of the FATA Research Center, an Islamabad-based think tank. Mahsud recently told the Daily Beast, “[Mortenson] just wanted to sell books because by 2006 everyone wanted to know about the Taliban and Waziristan…He thought this was a good chance to cash in.”
You may argue that Mortenson’s half-truths and lies were all part of the storytelling process, that his heart was still in the right place, that his intentions were good. But Mortenson ultimately based his entire narrative on a lie. The reason why American housewives and school children alike were drawn to his inspirational story, why they opened their wallets and gave blindly to “save” schoolgirls in Afghanistan and Pakistan was – at the end of the day – a sham. And if he could lie about the very foundation of his success, we have no choice but to doubt everything.
As the dust settles, there is a desire to point fingers and portion blame. Mortenson and CAI deserve the brunt of the anger, for not only veiling the public from reality, but also for using sentimental literature to garner funds, money that was allegedly misappropriated for personal gain.
We should also use this opportunity to look inwards at ourselves, at our ability to get carried away by a charismatic personality and digestible narrative, in which Mortenson was the John Smith in the Pakistani version of Pocahontas. Rather than society questioning whether good intentions truly equaled good aid, we gave him a platform, feeling warm and fuzzy for the part we indirectly played in saving schoolchildren. This thinking is endemic of a larger problem with charity and non-profit giving, in which show ponies and personalities often sweep us off our feet. We forget that we must demand transparency, and that we need to go beyond giving, remembering instead to give well, and who our money should be ultimately going to. This means supporting institutions and organisations that are not built on personality alone, but on community engagement and sustainability.
I never donated to CAI, and I still feel cheated. I can only imagine how Mortenson’s supporters must feel.
Kalsoom Lakhani is the director of Social Vision, the venture philanthropy arm of ML Resources, based in Washington, DC. She is the founder and editor of CHUP, a blog that aims to break the black-and-white depiction of Pakistan in the news media, and is the managing editor of ThinkChange Pakistan, a blog that tracks social entrepreneurship in the country. She tweets at twitter.com/kalsoom82.
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
CBS like other American media is only 5% truth and 95% spin that is controlled by special interest groups.
The CBS story is easy to understand – there is a powerful"self righteous"lobby in the west that doesnot want any positive portrayal of Islam or Pakistan in the press as provided by Greg Mortenson – by his books and his work.
Thank you Greg for all you have done for people in Pakistan and Africa.
I have not donated to CAI in the past but now it will be getting my regular support.
Greg Mortenson is America 's greatest Ambassador.
God bless America and the world.
Did he do good for mankind? Yes. well that is what maters. His going north, South, East or west are the paths to his acheavement.
Best wishes to all.
J M Qureshy
I am a bit confused about Mr Mortenson now. He should come out in the public and clarify all issues for his fans
very nice post by Kalsoom Lakhani
"I can only imagine how Mortenson’s supporters must feel" – i can tell you how Mortenson's supporters feel, they feel very very angry at articles such as yours that have turned an absolutely fantastic person into a greedy person overnight without even giving him a chance to vindicate himself…
It reeks of the author's prejudice towards a certain person and a certain organization and nothing else. What is inspiring though is that going through these comments, majority seem to be in support of Greg. I would recommend this article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-131259… to those who thrive on slinging mud on others without bothering to do their research. Instead of looking at how much the guy has contributed towards the lives of women in backward areas of Pakistan, and at the very least let the investigation run its course, you jumped at the chance of outright bashing a person who has risked his life for years and years working in areas where you wont even deign to step.
I have met Greg at a book signing, and for those pointing fingers at him about keeping the profit from his books all to himself, while using the organization's funds for traveling to keep his speaking commitments, let me just tell you this. While I was waiting in the line with others to get my book signed, he had people bring in BOXES and BOXES of books, which normally sell in paperback for no less than $15, and gave each person in the line over 10 books each at no cost, the idea being that we should distribute the books among our friends as much as possible, so that the message of peace could spread. This he does in every one of his public speeches. In every one of his speeches, he talks against war, how destructive it is, and how much enemies it makes on both sides of the world. HE IS THE LAST PERSON ON THIS PLANET TO RUN AFTER MONETARY ADVANTAGES.
Greg has his failings like all of us do- anyone who has bothered to read his books would have come across stuff like him being a very disorganized person, bad at keeping track of things etc etc. What matters is that this person has a heart of gold, and I truly believe that. Like someone said, even if he built ONE school in such a dangerous region, he did MORE than MANY of us would EVER do in our lives. And as the article I linked clearly says, he has built many. It's sad that people who don't even know anything about him, or about Krakeur, are throwing garbage at Greg. But then this world is nothing if it's not cruel. May God bless you Greg, and keep you and your family in His protection.
I would like to ask the critics of Greg Mortenson just one question:
would you have done what he did (live on a bare minimum, sleep in the car, sell off own belongings) to raise money to build a school half a world away for a handful of people that 99% of the world doesnt even know they exist?
if not, then please keep you psuedo intellectual comments to yourself and let the man do the work that you wouldnt have even dreamed of doing even if you were given 10 lives to live!
What ever one says, we should admire ,respect and indeed hug Greg for all his efforts. If only handfull of girls or boys being educated, still those children will be able to help their land instead of if they were not being educated . They are a great asset to their country.Let the barking dogs bark. Who cares if the men still has used money for his own benifit then it is OK.It is very hard for a person from other place to work in Afghanistan. A war torn country, every step one takes you can not tell that you are seconds away being hit by a land mine or get ambushed by a sniper. Only a person who has real heart and compassion and love for these people can do the type of work Greg is doing. Keep doing this great mission.Greg our hearts and prayers are with you
Kusloom,
You are such a hypocrite. Sure, Mortensen is probably guilty of fabricating a lot of the stuff that he has said and written.However if yu were to venture outside your ivory tower you'd see that he has indeed changed the lives of many people without a voice and future in Pakistan. Can you personally lay claim to a fraction of his acheivements? If you spit up at the sky, it is going to land on your face.
Oh, by the way, what do you think of Nawaz Sharif and his "ghost schools"? Maybe Mortensen should be made into a chief(cheap) minister too!
having had the benefit of reading your blogpostings, at CHUP, I feel betrayed, you not portraying your true 'Muslim Feminist' in this Blog…
Be Honest and tell us all what you think of the Veil, and how Burqa Ban in France is …
What have you done yourself that you feel cheated. Even if this guy built just one school to me thats Good enough an I support him. Maybe you do not feel cheated by Zardari , Nawaz Sharif an other dictators. Who have done nothing for Pakistan.
To me, 3 Cups was more than just a book. It was an experience, a journey which I savoured – laughed with, exclaimed at and sometimes even shed tears for. If it was a farce… what a shame. I really really hope Mortenson gets cleared if he's honest.
When I heard him speak at the Emirates Literature Festival some weeks back, I was all admiration, all respect. His was a story I, like millions, was enthralled by. I will be following the investigations closely.
So you have passed your verdict based on one CBS investigative report ? Did you attempt to find a counter-argument or do any sort of research ? Allow me to point out that the famous CBS news anchor, Dan Rather, was once accused (and admitted) to fabricating reports about his encounter with the mujahideen in Afghanistan. So pls don't take everything at face value. A flip side of this could very well be that this is a deliberate attempt to sabotage an educational venture in Pakistan, destroy donor goodwill and demoralize American philanthropists, many of whom could identify with a cause in distant Pakistan for the very first time. I'm not saying all this is necessarily true, but certainly worth exploring before reaching a conclusion. In the meantime, if Mortenson hasn't built enough schools for your liking, how many have YOU built lately in Pakistan ?
THANK YOU for this comment! I wonder if Ms. Kulsoom is really working for a better image of Pakistan. Is she so naive as to ignore the political implications of discrediting what Mortenson stands for? Mortenson has been trying to convince everyone, particularly the American government, that education and not bombs is the solution for militancy. We as Pakistanis should support him, especially if we claim to be working for improving Pakistan's image abroad, as Ms. Kulsoom's bio says she's trying to do. What is the woman thinking???
Well said. It really is media propaganda. An American building schools for Muslim girls….unthinkable and unacceptable for the western media !!!
I second with you! I believe there is a big picture ahead of us and we should try to see through it before it's too late other than outbursting a temper childishly.