"I am a Christian and don't want to serve a Muslim army," one of the Turkish hijackers wrote to Pope Benedict. Now it appears they are seeking asylum. This is, of course, completely contrary to previous reports from AP and others that the hijacking was fueled by Pope Rage. "Passengers safe as hijacking ends," from CNN:
BRINDISI, Italy (CNN) -- A hijacking episode that began over Greek airspace has ended in Italy with all 113 people aboard released and both unarmed Turkish hijackers in the custody of Italian aviation authorities, Italian officials said.Earlier reports on Tuesday that the hijackers were protesting Pope Benedict XVI's planned visit to Turkey were apparently incorrect; authorities now say that the hijackers have requested political asylum.
Turkish officials said one of the hijackers, identified as Hasan Ekinci, wrote a letter to the pope in August asking for help in avoiding service in the Turkish army.
"I am a Christian and don't want to serve a Muslim army," he wrote, adding that he had been attending church since 1998....
Albanian member of parliament Sabri Abazi, spoke to ANSA news agency by telephone from the hijacked airline. "They haven't heard us talking," he said, according to Reuters.
Abazi said there was one hijacker in the cockpit and another in the cabin. "Up to now we have seen no weapons or use of violence."
nope send him back after he serves 20 years in the electric chair.
I really have to worry about dhimmis. The things they learn and habits they pick up living in muslim nations.
/shudder
Abazi said there was one hijacker in the cockpit and another in the cabin. "Up to now we have seen no weapons or use of violence."
Now I believe he is a Christian although his name is Hasan.
There are some problems among muslims that have more to do with culture than with islam. This is why there are "honor killings" among so called Christian Arabs. As if islam doesn't bring enough problems, we get M.E. culture in the bargain.... the gift that keeps on giving!
It's about time an example was set to those who intend to hijack aircraft. Routinely offering asylum to Islamic yes ISLAMIC chancers, encourages more of these incidents in the future.
The unexpected 'Operation Entebbe' must have given many wannabes second thoughts in committing such a crime.
Okay - if you don't want to serve in the Turkish Army, why not just get on a plane and fly to Italy as a damned tourist? You don't have to get dramatic and take everyone hostage...
If you don't have enough money to fly, take a bus to the border and just walk over to Greece or Bulgaria or take a boat to Romania...
Why resort to something as risky an unreliable as hijacking to avoid serving in the Turkish army? You might end up being shot or blown up as you kiss the Italian tarmac? Seems a stupid approach to a simple problem. You think anyone from Islamic countries has a problem getting to the EU and 'overstaying' their welcome? Hell No!
There's something else going on here. These Turkish pilots are major wussies if two UNARMED men can get them to alter their flight plan.
Wonder what would happen if hijackers had boxcutters and started killing the cabin crew?
Wake up folks at J.W. Has the Christian faith been hijacked by Muslim extremists?
In England, a few years back, there was a case of Afghan hijackers landing a plane at Heathrow. Needless to say, they had their conviction overturned on appeal as they had acted under "duress".
They now live in a very nice house at the taxpayers expense.
Abazi said there was one hijacker in the cockpit and another in the cabin. "Up to now we have seen no weapons or use of violence."
no violence, is this a new tact coming from muslims? or are they really Christians? time will tell.. something smells fishy
Indeed, something is fishy in Turkey
I have to admit my first reaction was most certainly that someone was blaming this on a Christian for what ever fantastic reason. To prevent rioting, to further jihad--whatever reason they could come up with. I just found it incredible a non-muslim would hijack a plane today.
Looks like the media jumped the gun. I'm not surprised. With Islam's track record everyone tends to think the worst nowadays.
No doubt the muslim press will pick up on how everyone immpediately assumed it was a muslim and then bring up the 'Christian' who murdered 11 Amish children.
They are so dememnted.
After 9/11, I would expect people to react differently to hijackings. Two apparent Muslims hijack a plane without any weapons whatsoever, and nobody does anything about it? Didn't people fear that they were going to crash the plane?
Oh, wait.. the passengers were Muslims too? Never mind, then. I'm sure they would have been pleased to crash into a building in the name of Allah.
Is this another case where the perpetrators scream "I am a Muslim, and I am on a jihad!!", and the reporters/police/officials dutifully record the fact that the perpetrator is an "Asian", and this has nothing to do with terrorism?
I do not know what true beliefs reside inside these individuals' heads. I do know that I no longer trust that the true and full story will be told to us.
GreatShaitan said:
"Indeed, something is fishy in Turkey"
Yes, Turkeys..........
Let's remove the Turks from Constantinopoulos and re-install its rightful inhabitants, the GREEKS, namely!
Notice the moosleems have been coming to us once the were treated so nicely and fitted with cash at taxpayers' expense..
GOOG GOD, how I HATE *LIE*berals! Without Lieberals the muftsi would have never come to our Holy Free Lands!
Let them keep eating camel dung!
This is too weird.
Maybe this guy really is a Trojan horse.He got the idea reading up about Greece before he flew out. This guy may really be a jihadi hidden inside a fake Christian body. He planned to land in the Vatican, be greeted by the Pope as a 'gift' of a persecuted Christian seeking shelter amongst the flock, then blow himself up.
The saying 'Beware of Greeks bearing gifts' will then be changed in history to 'Beware of Turkish Christians pleading assylum'.
I don't know. If this guy's story is genuine that he must have been pretty desperate. This also raises another issue about human rights in Turkey. Apparently according to Turkish law, it is illegal to persecute anyone due to their faith, and penalties are severe. If this story is true, then that's one massive extra nail in the coffin for Turkey joining the EU due to more proof of human rights abuse.
This report seems incomplete...can someone get cnn on it?.....
In other news
Bush says Turkish EU membership in US 'interest'
http://euobserver.com/9/22551
Bush Backs Turkey's Bid to Join EU
http://www.forbes.com/business/manufacturing/feeds/ap/2006/10/02/ap3060124.html
Blair Backs Turkey's EU Membership
http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20061003&hn=37036
What are they thinking?
Just an FYI in case anyone hasn't seen it yet, Google has an arabic to english beta available now. It works faily well and makes alot of the often referenced websites readable for me.
If they are muslims who've converted, they will probably be killed for apostacy by another muslim. They can't all be in on it?
Who wants Turkey in the EU?
http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/272
They should be detained for, let's say, 20 years and then get extradicted back to Turkey. So much for the assylum. Surprise. There are too many precedents already.
It looks now like may have been only one hijacker and he was unarmed. Allegedly, he defected from the Turkish army after his conversion to Christianity. Because he became a Christian, he was falsely imprisoned on a fraud charge. Later he fled to Albania but they ordered him deported back to Turkey. That's why he was trying to place himself under the protection of the Pope.
If the facts alleged above turn out to be accurate, I suspect that the Pope will eventually meet with him (as he should). Also if all this is true, Hasan Ekinci should be honoured as a hero in the struggle against Islam.
"This is, of course, completely contrary to previous reports from AP and others that the hijacking was fueled by Pope Rage."
Well, it's a mistake easily enough made (that a Turkish hijacker would be hostile toward the Pope), but I guess even AP and the other usual media suspects could be caught displaying a bit of latent Islamophobia (by making such an assumption).
This is directly addressed to the looser with the nick name ISLAMFORLOOSERS... and to all the people who actually corelate the religion of Islam to the the violence taking place today as being one and the same I suggest they actually study the religion before making such fools of themselves.. Most Muslism .. true Muslims sit and laugh at people like you becasue you assume.. you people have based your opinions on assumptions, hatred, and misunderstandings. I feel sorry for you!
Every religion has its fanatics.. the christian religion has had its fair share as well as Judaism.. But Muslims in general are more educated than loosers like you to know that it is not the religion that is wrong it is the way these fanatics manipulate religion which is wrong. So we dont say chrsitianity is wrong.. we say the christian fanatics are wrong.. This is politics .. its ALL politics ITs not religious keep Islam out of it!! This dirty politics is created by the western Governments.. in the form of NEO-COLONIALISM.. This is politics over LAND, OIL, AND WATER.. Bushes and Blairs will do what they can to get it. Does that mean we hate all Americans.. NO I love the American people.. I have friends and family in the U.S .. Its not them its their Government forieghn policy.. START LOOKING AT THINGS AS THEY ARE NOT AS HOW YOUR GOVERNMENT WANTS YOU TO SEE IT OR HOW YOU WANT TO SEEIT.. MOVE BEYOND YOUR RACIST BIEST ATTITUDES AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND.. MOST OF US ARE JUST CATTLE IN THE GRANDER SCHEME OF THINGS (CHRISTIANS JEWS MUSLIMS) ITS OUR LEADERS THAT WE NEED TO KEEP AN EYE ON NOT YOUR RELIGION OR MY RELIGION. And rememebr this ALL religions teach people to be better human beings .. I have studied comparative religions in college in the U.S and I concluded we are all the same .. under on God.. all the same.. Why do we kill .. In todays world as in yesterdays world.. Not for religion BUT always for politics!!!!
ISLAM IS AN AMAZING RELIGION.. WHEN ONE PRACTISES IN THE TRUE SENSE OF THE WORD ISLAM WHICH IS SUBMISSION there can be nothing more powefull I assure you of that.. Muslim (One who has submitted) These are practices of PEACE. OUR GREETINGS instead of a hello or hi we say Asalam i Ilaikum.. PEACE BE UPON YOU.. and the reply WALIKUM-aSALAM AND UNTO YOU PEACE BE. PEACE ..
The term Jihad means STRUGGLE.. There is a greater Jihad and a lesser Jihad. the greater jihad is struggleing against desires, addictions, negativitiy, even if you struggle against depresion its Jihad and greater Jihad .. you get closer to God. Greater Jihad is also struggling to understand your religion , read and study the Quran .. the Quran is a science in itself this is all the Greater Jihad..
The Lesser Jihad is in battle.. BUT battle only to protect your religion.. if Islam is threatenend..the battles have strict rules.. You cannot harm a woman a child the sick .. the elderly, you cannot even harm a tree in battle. How do you expolain world trade center as a Jihad.. you dont ITS NOT A JIHAD.. ITS A FABRICATED LIE. These SO CALLED "jIHADIST" people are angered at the west by political actions taken against their people or the people of surrounding areas where they feel a kinship.. The western media does them a favor.. elevates their status spoon feeds them into heros when they give them the term jihadist.. they are not jihadist.. they are low life terrorists.. and unfortunately they were born Muslims. You cannot kill one innocent person in a Jihad they killed 5000 not counting the passengers aboard the aircraft.. So dont do them a favor.. dont help them in thei cause by calling them Jihadist.