Yet Another Kidnapping

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
1

I’m trying to understand the motive behind these kidnappings in Iraq. At this point, I just do not get what they are accomplishing or trying to achieve anymore. Whoever is doing it is causing nothing but more harm to Iraq and its people.

This is just beyond disgusting. I’m well aware that the American and foreign armies are committing serious offences and atrocities on the people of Iraq and that won’t be stopping any time soon. Yet, kidnapping someone who is there to help the people and who has been helping the people for decades … what is that going to do???

**Charity worker kidnapped in Iraq

A senior charity worker with dual British-Iraqi nationality has been kidnapped in Baghdad. **

Margaret Hassan, who is married to an Iraqi and has lived in the country for 30 years, is head of Care International’s Iraq operations.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he was “very concerned” about the kidnapping and offered his sympathy.

The latest kidnapping comes less than two weeks after British contractor Ken Bigley, 62, was beheaded.

The Foreign Office spokesman said: “The embassy is urgently seeking to establish what has happened and is working closely with the Iraqi authorities.”

Mr Straw said: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to her, her family and her colleagues”.

In a statement, the charity said it was unaware of a motive for the kidnap of its Iraq Country Director.

It said: "As far as we know, Margaret is unharmed.

"She has been providing humanitarian relief to the people of Iraq in a professional career spanning more than 25 years.

“Needless to say, we are doing whatever we can to secure her release. Our overwhelming concern must be for Margaret’s safety.”

Care International is one of the largest independent global relief and development organisations in the world.

The charity operates in more than 72 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and eastern Europe.

Asked about the reports, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said: "Obviously it is a very disturbing development and our thoughts are with her family.

“She is a long time resident of Iraq, as I understand it, someone who is working extremely hard, has worked all her life for the benefit of the people of Iraq so this just demonstrates the depths to which these terrorists will go.”

2

Re: Yet Another Kidnapping

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by MehnazQ: *
I'm trying to understand the motive behind these kidnappings in Iraq. At this point, I just do not get what they are accomplishing or trying to achieve anymore. Whoever is doing it is causing nothing but more harm to Iraq and its people.

This is just beyond disgusting. I'm well aware that the American and foreign armies are committing serious offences and atrocities on the people of Iraq and that won't be stopping any time soon. Yet, kidnapping someone who is there to help the people and who has been helping the people for decades ... what is that going to do???
[/QUOTE]

Most of the kidnapping of Iraqi citizens so far has been purely out of criminal intent. The Iraqi economy is pretty messed up right now and an easy way of making money is through kidnapping Iraqis and getting their families to cough up large sums of money.

3

That’s horrible Maddy. :bummer:

I’m not sure if it was posted on Gupshup or not but something similar was/is happening in Afghanistan. Little children were/are being kidnapped and the kidnappers are demanding a ridiculous ransom from the families, who themselves are poor. If the parents don’t cough up the money, they send the parents some body part of the child … a finger or a toe … the kids end up being eventually being returned to the parents but they are traumatized for life. These are little helpless kids who have done no harm. How can anybody chop off a body part like that? It’s disgusting. :teary1:

These people are just sick.

4

now now MehnazQ .. u shouldn't say that about our 'brave' muslim warrriors fighting the evil kuffars..

5

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by PakistaniAbroad: *
now now MehnazQ .. u shouldn't say that about our 'brave' muslim warrriors fighting the evil kuffars..
[/QUOTE]

so common day criminals in any country are somehow related to the jihadi organizations? nice way to sum all the ppl you dont like. in a country where mujahideen are operating, not all 'criminal' acts are related to them. so if a criminal steals in baghdad, it must be jihadis? or if a drug addict buys drug in paksitan, he must be jihadi? stop putting all the mujahids with common criminals because you know very well that is not the case.

6

The kidnappers have a mix agenda, some are after money, some are after instability at any cost and some believe they are fighting a holy war. And I agree, it is hurting the Iraqis more than anything else.

7

When a person who is a "Muslim" kills another he's a terrorists and a Jihadist. When the Osamites publish their captives with the banners of Islam in the background and when these low-lifers put out their messages with the Quranic recitations, or when they utter the Islamic phrases then the world thinks that they are doing it in the name of Islam. The common criminals came in the fray later on but the die had been cast.

We are justifying some of these activities as doings of common criminal. The world is waking up to that face. But the put yourself on the other side of the fence and the scene is a lot different.

8

Nice. Kidnapping a woman who spent the better part of her life caring for Iraqis only to see her begging for her life on a video. She was forced to plead for her life if Blair does not stand down troop movements. Time to go crush Fallujah, as the root of evil.

HOSTAGE’S VIDEO PLEA

Kidnapped care worker Margaret Hassan has made an emotional plea for British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq in a new video aired by an Arabic TV station.,

In the video the charity chief sobbed while she pleaded with the British people to spare her life, and urged Tony Blair to pull troops out .

“Please, please I beg of you, the British people, to help me,” Mrs Hassan said.

"The British people, tell Mr. Blair to take the troops out of Iraq and not bring them here to Baghdad. That’s why people like myself and Mr. Bigley have been caught. Please, please, I beg of you. This might be my last hour.

“I dont want to die like Bigley,” she said, referring to British hostage Kenneth Bigley who was decapitated on a video posted this month on an Islamist Web site.

An editor at Al-Jazeera said the network received the tape today but refused to say how or where. He said the tape included only Hassan’s statement.

It did not include any claim of responsibility or show any of the kidnappers.

Mrs Hassan, the head of the CARE International charity in Iraq, was taken hostage on Tuesday as she drove to her office in western Baghdad.

Mrs Hassan has lived in Iraq for the last 25 years helping its people and is married to an Iraqi.

She holds dual British/Iraqi nationality.

Earlier this week her husband Tahseen made a plea for the kidnappers to free Mrs Hassan, saying she loved Iraq and had nothing to do with politics.
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1156644,00.html

9

I think this was said quite a while ago too. :slight_smile:

The US tried, and we all know what became of that. :hehe:

10

The invaders have taken a leaf out of the brutal Israeli tactics of flatening a whole town, where they are sure that Zarqawi is. But than they were sure 110% that Iraq had WMD’s. Why crush falujah, they are only resisting the invaders and occupiers, who shoot first and then ask question. As to the kidnapping and killing I don’t apporve of it at all but then after the invaders killed thousand upon thousand of innocent civilians including women and children, it is bit rich to see their crocodile tears here for one women.

Not once have they condemned the murder of innocent women and children at the hands of their trigger happy soldiers. May they get what they deserve in falujjah once again. :rolleyes:

I condemn both, they are both thugs and murderers. The American army is no less a killing machine of innocent people than these so called insurgents.

11

Is there such a thing as kidnapping or murder in a war zone, and does it depend who's doing it to who?

Is it murder when it's collatoral damage, is/was abu gharib kidnapping?

Yes run with the media headlines.

12

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you and during the month of Ramadan at that. May she and her family get through this.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by underthedome: *
Talk about biting the hand that feeds you and during the month of Ramadan at that. May she and her family get through this.
[/QUOTE]

Quite literally. She and her organization have done nothing but help Iraqis over the past 30 years. She loves the country, the people and look what happens?

At this point, both sides are to blame. Two wrongs never make a right.

14

Since shes a woman her chances of being released are much better. All the women (I think 5) that had been caught before were released. Especially since shes married to an Iraqi and is a aid worker, unless of course its a new tactic to create further chaos.

15

I am not familiar much with the Sahabas and their histories.... but was
Hazrat Abu Bakr al-Siddiq known to kidnap and execute people for something they did that was against Islam?

I am asking this since the group that is standing up for Islam and Muslims and killing those responsible for the attrocities committed against the Muslims in this special manner is known as "The Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Fundamentalist Brigades".

Seems that they have picked a Sahabi whose manner of standing up for Islam and Muslims is to their liking and are adopting the same tactics.

I had thought that Islam teaches not to attack from behind and those who are not comparably armed?