Roma (SD) – Sylvia Romano (Aisha), a recently freed Italian hostage in Somalia, has spoken out about being recently threatened for her conversion to Islam, saying she has never deviated from her decision.

“I got out of that bad situation, and now I can relax. I always follow where my heart leads and that will never fade away,” Sylvia said.

“I couldn’t wait until I get off the plane, because I miss the people who are important in my life. I wanted to comfort them, and tell them my love for them regardless of the Islamic dress I was wearing.” Sylvia added.

The comments from the freed converted Italian comes at a time where she has faced a backlash for her new faith.

An armed group kidnapped Sylvia Romano from Malindi Kilifi County, in Kenya on November 2018 and taken her to Somalia, it is believed that the kidnappers were members of Al Shabab.