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The U.N. official "called on religious, political, military and community leaders to send one clear message to Iraqi children: 'Stay out of violence and go back to school'." But another question comes to mind: Where are the parents, and what are they doing to encourage or hinder their children from following this path?
"Iraqi children recruited for suicide attacks: UN," from Agence France Presse:
AMMAN - Iraqi children are being recruited as suicide bombers by various militias and insurgent groups, a UN official said on Friday after a fact-finding visit to the country.
"Since 2004, an increasing number of children have been recruited into various militias and insurgent groups, including as suicide bombers," Radhika Coomaraswamy told a news conference in the Jordanian capital.
"It is an intolerable situation," said Coomaraswamy, special representative of the secretary general for children and armed conflict.
Winding up a week-long visit to Iraq, she said children there are the silent victims of the ongoing violence in the country, with approximately 1,500 "known to be held in detention facilities."
"Many of them no longer go to school, many are recruited for violent activities or detained in custody, they lack access to the most basic services and manifest a wide range of psychological symptoms from the violence in their everyday lives"
She said only 50 percent of primary school children are attending school, down from 80 percent in 2005. Only 40 percent have access to clean drinking water and there is a continuing possibility of outbreaks of cholera.
She called on religious, political, military and community leaders to send one clear message to Iraqi children: "Stay out of violence and go back to school."
Coomaraswamy strongly urged all parties to the conflict in Iraq "to strictly adhere to international humanitarian standards for the protection of children and to immediately release any children under the age of 18 years who are associated with their forces in any way".
Posted by Marisol at April 25, 2008 9:33 PM
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""Iraqi children recruited for suicide attacks"
When Al-Zawahiri speaks, people listen...only in Islam..foolish people.
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at April 25, 2008 10:03 PM
ATTENTION Robert and the JW staff:
This is OT, but is anyone else having dfficulty gaining access to JW? When I enter "jihad watch" into my search engine (comcast/google), it does not bring up the JW site in first place as it alway did before; it only lists various sites that refer to JW. Same with DW. I only got access by going first to ROP and hitting the JW link there. Help!
at April 25, 2008 10:08 PM
Is there any precedent in Islamic history before the modern era of enlisting children for suicide attacks? Anybody know?
Posted by: Wellington at April 25, 2008 10:42 PM
Ebonystone--
From the main Google page, the search pulls the site up first as usual. But I did some looking around (not a Comcast customer), and searching from comcast.net comes up with the secondary results you mentioned.
Interesting-- thanks for pointing this out. When did it stop bringing up the direct link?
Posted by: MarisolJW at April 25, 2008 10:46 PM
"Is there any precedent in Islamic history before the modern era of enlisting children for suicide attacks? Anybody know?
Posted by: Wellington "
IN THE Iran/Iraq war, the Iranians sent waves of unarmed children towards the Iraqi lines to clear out the land mines, those that survived the minefields were mowed down by the Iraqis.
Posted by: pulsar182 at April 25, 2008 10:47 PM
it was suicide for the children..to be sure..
Posted by: pulsar182 at April 25, 2008 10:48 PM
Uh, bonehead kafir question here, but did the prepubescent Iranian boy "martyrs" who died in the cause of clearing Allah's minefields get 72 houris in Paradise, or were they just given some Jihadi Joe dolls to play with?
Posted by: Lex at April 25, 2008 11:01 PM
Jihadi Joe!! Oh my, that is too rich. And who is to say that the paradise and Jihadi Joe dolls aren't one in the same? For me, it probably would be.
thejonesyreport.blogspot.com
Posted by: theonecalledjonesy at April 25, 2008 11:27 PM
Marisol, I stopped getting the direct link sometime this evening. I was getting it earlier this afternoon.
Posted by: ebonystone at April 26, 2008 12:14 AM
They have to use children and the mentally ill. Nobody else is stupid enough now in Iraq to blow themselves up.
A pity that these groups cannot be tried for War Crimes. You see, using children under the age of 15 is against the Geneva Conventions of War.
http://www.tamilnation.org/humanrights/child/index.htm#Geneva_Conventions
A war crime that the International Court should be looking into prosecuting.
But alas, the International Court is more interested in prosecuting Israel and the US on phony charges than real War Crimes and criminals.
Posted by: Mystical Time Traveler at April 26, 2008 12:18 AM
"Iraqi Children Allowed to Gain Eternal Glory and Meet Allah"
is how they look at it.
Demon est Deus inversus.
(The Devil is God turned on his head.)
Posted by: profitsbeard at April 26, 2008 12:36 AM
Uh, bonehead kafir question here, but did the prepubescent Iranian boy "martyrs" who died in the cause of clearing Allah's minefields get 72 houris in Paradise, or were they just given some Jihadi Joe dolls to play with?
Posted by: Lex
They were given plastic keys to paradise to hang around their necks.
Posted by: Dsinc at April 26, 2008 12:42 AM
"The U.N. official "called on religious, political, military and community leaders to send one clear message to Iraqi children: 'Stay out of violence and go back to school".
They might have added that Islamic religious authorities should examine those teachings of Islam that are used to lure these children into violence, but, of course, we know thay would never do that. It's easier - and safer - to talk in generalities about school drop-outs or make fuzzy statements about violence, than to talk about the real motivating factor for their willingness to participate in terrorism.
Our drop-outs might commit crimes for profit, but they don't commit suicide for some material gain. Only a religious motivation could compel someone to do that.
Posted by: rational
at April 26, 2008 12:54 AM
Catmeat Sheikh Hilali tells Aussie women to cover up
http://sheikyermami.com/2008/04/26/catmeat-sheikh-hilali-tells-aussie-women-to-cover-up/
at April 26, 2008 1:37 AM
When will the Aussies finally get the balls to kick the catmeat sheikh out of their country?
Posted by: Spirit Of 1683 at April 26, 2008 4:46 AM
"When will the Aussies finally get the balls to kick the catmeat sheikh out of their country?
Posted by: Spirit Of 1683 "
for national security reasons it should sooner rather than later..could there be an auto accident in the cards?.
at April 26, 2008 6:06 AM
pulsar182 wrote concerning the use of Iranian children as mine clearance fodder:
IN THE Iran/Iraq war, the Iranians sent waves of unarmed children towards the Iraqi lines to clear out the land mines, those that survived the minefields were mowed down by the Iraqis.
ADDITIONALLY, THOSE THAT SURVIVED THE MINEFIELDS AND THE IRAQIS AND WERE INJURED & DISFIGURED BECAUSE THEY LOST LIMBS WALKING AROUND CLEARING MINES WERE AWARDED BY THEIR RELIGIOUS IMAMS A NECKLACE WITH A LARGE KEY. THIS WAY THE DISABLED CHILD WITH MISSING LIMBS COULD PROUDLY WALK AROUND IRAN DISPLAYING HIS GET INTO HEAVEN KEY.
at April 26, 2008 6:38 AM
Here's a practical way to help save lives: Operation Iraqi Children
Excerpt from website:
Operation Iraqi Children is a grass-roots program founded in early 2004 by actor Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, CSI: NY) and author Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit: An American Legend). Sinise and Hillenbrand created OIC to give concerned Americans a way to reach out to war-stricken Iraqi children and support American troops in their efforts to assist them. Since its inception, OIC has delivered to Iraq over 200,000 school supply kits, along with more than half a million toys and thousands of Arabic-language books, shoes, blankets, backpacks and sets of sports equipment, all of which have been distributed to Iraqi children by our troops. While our focus remains on Iraq, in recent months, OIC has extended its reach, sending shipments of school supplies to Afghanistan and the east African nation of Djibouti, where American troops are distributing them to children in need.
For all of his faults, at least Saddam did not permit radical clerics to open madrassas in Iraq, so a U.N. official saying to Iraqi kids, "Stay out of violence and go back to school," isn't necessarily a death wish or indication of complete ignorance of the reality on the ground.
Posted by: Lex at April 26, 2008 6:59 AM
"For all of his faults, at least Saddam did not permit radical clerics to open madrassas in Iraq"
by Lex
No, he just paid $25,000 to families of suicide bombers in Gaza and the West Bank, no doubt causing more bombings than might have occurred otherwise.
How many parents encouraged their children in their jihadist ventures or, worse, pushed them to do their bit to support the family? How many turned a blind eye to their children's murderous activities, knowing they would be paid off handsomely and also be lauded by their friends and family for their child's supposed act of martyrdom?
Saddam made suicide bombing a financial planning decision for many Palestinians. He deserves no brownie points or accolades for not letting radical imams preach in Iraq. He fostered them in the Palestinian areas. Why should anyone be surprised that this method of "resistance" is now finding its way to Iraq?
It's a perfect example of Islam's (and Saddam's)chickens coming home to roost.
at April 26, 2008 9:59 AM
pulsar182: Thanks for your response. I was aware of children being used in the Iran/Iraq war during the 1980s as human land mine detectors. By "before the modern era" I meant in centuries past. My error for not being clearer. So, the question remains: Any evidence that before the last half century or so children (or even adults) were ever enlisted in the Islamic world for pure suicide missions? If not, then this would be some kind of thread to hang on to for all those stalwart "moderate" Muslims out there to definitively denounce Islamic radicals for bastardizing Islam. I won't hold my breath though.
Posted by: Wellington at April 26, 2008 12:53 PM
So, the question remains: Any evidence that before the last half century or so children (or even adults) were ever enlisted in the Islamic world for pure suicide missions?
Posted by: Wellington
Yes,indeed. There was the Order of the Assassins, established in 1090 by Hasan Sabbah, who established a stronghold in the Elburz Mountains, in northern Iran. He followed a radical Islamic agendum, and sent his followers on (usually) suicidal missions to assassinate various Moslem leaders who opposed him. He, and then his successors as head of the Order, was known as the Old Man of the Mountain. Young men (maybe boys when first recruited) were recruited and trained in various murder techniques, and were told they were doing Allah's will, and would be suitably rewarded in Paradise. They were trained in a base-camp at the foot of the mountain. At a certain point they would be drugged with hashish in the evening -- they were called the Hashishim, from which "assassin" is derived -- and taken up to the mountain stronghold, where they would find a cool garden, with beautiful houris to please them and give them wine. Before the drug wore off, they would be returned to the base-camp, and in the morning they were told that the Old Man had transported them to Paradise for one night to show them what awaited them when they completed their missions. They were greatly feared by leaders in the Middle East, a number of whom they bumped off, because unlike normal hired killers they didn't care if they were caught, and so were much more difficcult to defend against. The Order lasted until 1256, when the Mongol invaders wiped them out.
at April 26, 2008 10:17 PM
"She said only 50 percent of primary school children are attending school, down from 80 percent in 2005. Only 40 percent have access to clean drinking water and there is a continuing possibility of outbreaks of cholera."
that is because the Muslims keep killing the teachers and blowing up the water processing/filering plants.
Allah must Hate the Muslims..
at April 27, 2008 5:00 PM
ONly the Muslims would send a child to do a mans job..
Posted by: pulsar182 at April 27, 2008 6:58 PM
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