Hopefully these people can freed with harm and those holding them be caught.
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Missing tourists held by Islamists
31 Europeans seized in Algeria ‘in good health’
Giles Tremlett
Tuesday April 29, 2003
The Guardian
Algeria has made an important breakthrough in its search for 31 missing European tourists with the discovery of one of their vehicles and confirmation from a senior army official that they are in the hands of more than a dozen Islamists.
The tourists have been separated into two groups and are being held in canyons and gullies near the town of Illizi, which lies near the Libyan border some 900 miles south-east of Algiers, a senior security official told the French newspaper Le Monde yesterday.
The 15 Germans, 10 Austrians, four Swiss, a Dutchman and a Swede who, while travelling in seven different groups, have gone missing since mid-February, are being held by rebels led by local Islamist leader Emir Ammari.
the group - part of the armed Salafist Group for Call and Combat - might seek to exchange the hostages for Algerian terrorists jailed recently for planning bomb attacks in Strasbourg.
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*Originally posted by underthedome: *
Hopefully these people can freed with harm and those holding them be caught.
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Missing tourists held by Islamists
Perhaps this tourists are "ILLEGAL COMBATANTS" and therfore kept without charges and any rights at all.
Anyway its stupid to travel to Algeria for anybody as we all know the situation there.
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*Originally posted by kabir: *
well islamist is a new term used by anti muslim forces to malign islam
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Actually that was one of the common terms back in the colonial days.. that and Mohammedan. It was used in academics but nevertheless connoted an inferiority through separation.
In one of his MoneyLine programs post 9/11, Lou Dobbs (CNN) explained that he will be using the term "Islamists" to differentiate between all the peace-loving "Muslims" and violence-prone Islamic elements/terrorists now called "Islamists".
I thought it was a bad idea, and sent him an email rightaway. In my view, most American can hardly differentiate between beard-and-turban'd sikhs and muslims, and it will be too much to expect them to differentiate between semantics of "Islamists" and "Muslims" and "Islam". So, it is kinda moot exercise plus it will only confuse and harm the muslims who are living peacefully in non-muslim countries, esp USA. Plus, the very root of the word "Islam" means "peace", so use the term "Islamists" to identify terrorists is an oxymoron. Well, thats just my opinion.
For some reason, I have not seen him use this term again, but then I don't watch his program that regularly anymore.
I doubt that very much, because the Guardian refers to most Muslims as Islamists regardless. The government issue doesn't even come into the equation.
Furthermore, people from all over the 'West' tend to use this term loosely. Reporters, Professors, Experts, Strategists, Bush and his Administeration. You name them and they use it.
I just took note of it when Friedman (whether you like him or not, he is knowledgeable) of the New York Times, used the phrase. It seems to be used in the same sense that , pardon me, the term "Zionist" is used. That is a political movement with a religious basis. In many cases this happens to apply to rebel groups such as in Algeria.....
Actually, I think all three of you are right. But Faisal's words are most appropriate:
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In my view, most American can hardly differentiate between beard-and- turban'd sikhs and muslims, and it will be too much to expect them to differentiate between semantics of "Islamists" and "Muslims" and "Islam". So, it is kinda moot exercise plus it will only confuse and harm the muslims who are living peacefully in non-muslim countries, esp USA. Plus, the very root of the word "Islam" means "peace", so use the term "Islamists" to identify terrorists is an oxymoron. Well, thats just my opinion.
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