The BBC's John Simpson speaks the truth about the Iraqi collaborator hostages: they're the jihadists' "best friends."
"Iraq withdrawal urged by hostage," from the BBC, with thanks to Paul:
New video footage has emerged in which British hostage Norman Kember calls for UK troops to be pulled out of Iraq."I ask Mr Blair to... leave the Iraqi people to come to their own decisions on their government," says Mr Kember, 74, and from Pinner, London.
The peace activist and three other Westerners seized in Baghdad last month were shown in handcuffs and shackles.
The kidnappers have threatened to kill them if Iraqi detainees in the country are not freed by Thursday.
Mr Kember, who had travelled to Iraq with international peace group, the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT), was kidnapped in Baghdad on 26 November.
He is being held with Canadians James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, and American Tom Fox, 54.
A group calling itself the Swords of Truth said it had taken the hostages and accused them of spying for foreign forces in Iraq.
Fellow hostage Mr Fox is also heard to speak on the video, a shorter version of which emerged last week.
He says: "As a representative of Christian Peacemaker Teams, we feel that continued American and British occupation is not in the best interest of the Iraqi people."
BBC World Affairs Editor John Simpson said Mr Kember had appeared to reflect his own opinions in the video as he was "very much critical" of the British and US presence in the country.
"The ludicrous thing really is that they've captured four people, of whom he's one, who are their best friends in the West," he said of the kidnappers.
Will be quite amusing if these vagabond "humanitarians" and "peace activists" are left to rot for a while with their noble savages. Then again, this could all be a phony staged kidnapping
Send Jimmy Carter to negotiate their release.
On the other hand ...
Why in Hell is Sadaam allowed to decide whether or not he will attend his own trial? Are the idiots running the asylum? Will he be allowed to decide whether or not to attend his own hanging? I thought W was the President of the USA - but, it looks like he's running Iraq, too!
The fact that W sent out Christmas cards that do not include the word, "Christmas", is a telling measure of his cowardice. That untermenchen(?) turns my stomach.
And, yes, I voted for the SOB. Twice. (Jesus)
Oh, yeah, sorry about the CPT morons. PBUT (Peace be upon them) Well, actually, I give a rip.
The Christian Peacemaker Team statement reads,
"While we believe the action of kidnapping is wrong, we do not condemn you as people.
"We recognise the humanity in each person, and respect it very much. This includes you, our colleagues and all people.
"We believe there needs to be a force that counters all the resentment, the fear, the intimidation felt by the Iraqi people.
"We are trying to be that force, to speak for justice, to advocate for the human rights of Iraqis, to look at an Iraqi face and say 'my brother, my sister'."
This Christian group is trying hard to make sense of the jihad in their own terms, "humanity", "injustice", "fear and resentment". But, the jihadists are not afraid and they are not resentful, if only they were. They are happy to kill infidels, to strike terror into the hearts of infidels, as the Prophet instructs them to in the Qur'an and Sunnah; their reward is great for doing so. Human rights are irrelevant; imposing the will of Allah is the only moral category that matters, and Christians, unfortunately, only have a role to play as useful dhimmis, not as friends.
These christians want to make friends out of Muslims, and these Muslims want to make dhimmis out of Christians; and dhimmis these Christians will be.
Frankly, I think the CPT "hostages" have only met their more violent alter-egoes. The CPT really aren't "peacemakers" unless your idea of peace is the peace of one of the most brutal police states in a sea of brutal police states.
And they are certainly not "anti-war" as the CPT's conduct in the Territories shows; they are the non-secular counterpart to the ISM/PSM. For them, war is the answer if you can lay claim to any of the usual (flimsy) grievances and they are the willing aiders and abettors of that class of war-makers.
"I ask Mr Blair to... leave the Iraqi people to come to their own decisions on their government," says Mr Kember, 74, and from Pinner, London.
As if the jihadis have any intention of leaving the Iraqi people to come to their own decisions. What a naive group of silly little children they are. I think they may have gotten themselves in over their heads. We'll soon find out if this is a staged event.
No, more likely it will just be another case of Stockholm Syndrome, like that pathetic self-loathing dhimmette Yvonne Ripley.
Actually, these losers could inadvertently help the cause of peace, if their captors do behead them live on al-Jazirah. Just to remind us all what we're there to fight.
"Why in Hell is Sadaam allowed to decide whether or not he will attend his own trial? Are the idiots running the asylum? Will he be allowed to decide whether or not to attend his own hanging?"
Actually the right to "confront one's accusers" is a right, not a requirement. Anyone can opt to be tried in absentia. As for his hanging- Saddam will probably die of old age before these trials are over.
I agree with dennisw and other posters that this affair may be a set up with both sides in complicity. As such, Jiminy Cricket would be the perfect international celebrity to lead them to fweedom in a glorious apotheosis of peace and love.
These CPT karakters give peace a bad name, as waterdragon suggests. They have been active in Hebron, the ancient Jewish holy city, supporting the Muslim claim to the city as superior to Jewish rights there. Their recognition of "humanity in each person" does not extend to Jews. It's good that people at JW/DW understand their phoniness.
For once BBC told the truth -- and with all the fanatic jihadis coming out in their defense, I'm more and more convinced that's all a set up.
Yeah I know. I can hear it already...
"IT's AMERICA'S FAULT!"
Conspiracy theorists are already spinning that maybe its not zarqawi's hordes byut secretly the CIA thats doing all this dirty insurgent business of kidnappings, torture, mutilations, beheadings, ransom demands..oh, and did I mention beheadings?...and what have you. Come to think of it, who benefits when the squaky clean image of islam gets tarnished, eh? Bush, of course! That Amman bombing was a CIA plot! Tomorrow if Al Jazeera is impaled with a 146mm Howitzwer shell right ups its a**, be sure its the CIA who dunnit!
If Karl Rove is half the genius he claims to be, he should leak out a memo to the Washington Post lauding more such CIA atrocities....
/sarc off
Godefroi de Boulogne -
Oh. Well, pardon the Hell out of me.
I am not a lawyer - don't even play a lawyer on tv. Still. It looks to me as though the guards are afraid to bruise him - for fear of finding themselves up on charges.
I hope they behead these guys. But. given all of the depressing news lately, they'll probably free them.
Don't know if this is another 'phony', have been plenty staged by loony Left- those two
Italian girls with the same name of Simona who looked anything except having survived 'a terrible ordeal' when they were all smiles & waves 'wearing the new clothes their captors had given them!' That Sgrena woman is a liar and rabid Communist : what's the betting her ransom money and those of two Simonas is paying for
continuing Jihad in Iraq??
Certainly if poor old Kember gets his throat
sawn slowly through with a rusty knife[ to appear later on video at Al Jazeera ], he has the consolation of knowing he has been killed by his'friends.' Not satisfied with his death, the
poor Dhimmi's last gasps and gushing blood will be exploited for rapturous viewing by cheering Muslims.
Well, they do say 'A MAN IS KNOWN BY THE COMPANY HE KEEPS...'
Although the people captured are considered to be “the ideological enemies of the modern West” I do not hope they find themselves killed by a bunch of jihadi's. Because, if they somehow survive they might tell in their own social environment that jihadi's are the only true monsters.
DrWolffenstein,
Woulda coulda shoulda mighta.
No thanks pal. I hope they get slaughtered like
halal sheep. That would send the message you
are talking about.
But this whole thing is so phony, I'm pretty sure
they volunteered to be kidnapped.
Wolffenstein and American: As I've said before, I've never met a born-and-bred Mennonite whom I didn't like; while Quakers strike me as unctuous sorts who never tire of lambasting their friends and giving aid and comfort to their worst foes. Part of me agrees with Amercian, that the four probably volunteered to be taken hostage. However, I can't take real pleasure out of anyone getting decapitated, even if he's someone who really deserves it.
Also, I fear that Dr. Wolffenstein's hope that the four will set their friends straight if they live may not come to pass. They'd probably assume that their exemplary Dhimmitude proves that it's possible to live with the machete cult after all.
if those four get off.. it must be a setup..just plain as could be..
Assuming that they were really kidnapped, would a true pacifist approve of a military operation to rescue them?
And would I want to risk my men in that operation? NO!
jay stevens
U.S. Army (Ret.)
Oh, I almost forgot.
"Crocodiles like pacifists. They are tender."
Joseph Farrah, WND.
Something about this definitely does not add up. When Ken Bigley and Margaret Hassan were facing death, whatever the rights and wrongs of why they were in Iraq, there was much more public concern. People felt empathy with the families and took notice. It's different this time, and I don't thin kit's commpassion fatigue. There's a sense that all is not right. I can't put my finger on it but that is not a face I trust somehow.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4484234.stm
The green lighting doesn't do him any favours.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4508640.stm
I don't want any family grieving, and I'm praying for the Lord's will, but I don't get the right "vibe" from this caper.
How could I have missed John Simpson for Dhimmi of the Year.
I am appalled everytime he speaks to the nation.
Nobody I know really cares about these "misguided Westerners - best friends to Iraq" whatever.
These guys are political. They knew the risks.
Jack man 'o Straw pleading with the bastard Qattada to make a video plea for the "mercy of Islam to be shown - if there is no religious conviction to hold them" was the final straw for me.
Do as you will. Nothing after the shock & gore of 9/11 can move me where Islam is concerned - except to an even more hostile view of Islam as a whole.
Religion of peace, eh.
This is so phoney and obviously so. Starting from the unrealistic demand that all captured juhadists be released, to the pictures of these so called victims, not looking terrified or visibly shaken, but relaxed, comfortable. Then the plea for the UK to withdraw it's troops, comming not from their captors, but this so called 'victim'.
I wonder which one's are taking turns holding the camera.
Real jihadist's don't show compasion, don't provide comfort, and recite the koran alot, stick to deadlines, and just don't care who they kill, even their own children.
These ones, if there really IS a terrorist group called "swords of justice" are obviously amatuers, even the real jihadists are scratching their heads.
Perhaps they will behead them just to save face.
I highly doubt it though. These peacenik traitors will turn up somewhere next week with a yarn to spin a mile long.