The Christian Science Monitor has chosen to print parts of an article by Mustafa Abu Sway originally printed in the Palestinian daily, Al-Quds, perhaps in the hopes that it may convince the kidnappers of Jill Carroll to release her. Needless to say, we here at Jihad Watch are not holding our collective breath.
JERUSALEM — Anyone who is familiar with the Koran and the traditions of the prophet Muhammad knows that kidnapping civilians and harming them is absolutely prohibited. Those who do kidnap civilians defy the Islamic code of ethics. This ethos applies to every kidnapped civilian, including Jill Carroll, the freelance journalist on assignment for The Christian Science Monitor, who worked in Iraq until she was kidnapped early last month. I appeal to her kidnappers to immediately release her and to stop kidnapping civilians altogether…
I have chosen, because of the cultural background of this nation, to present the Islamic position regarding kidnapping, which opposes it. We must get rid of this negative phenomenon that does not serve us in any way.
From the perspective of the Islamic sharia, the al-Mustamin is “the foreign person whose safety is guaranteed.” Such a person is protected, even if his or her native country is in a state of animosity with Muslims. Animosity is a temporary state, and, further, not all Western citizens necessarily support the foreign policies of their governments.
The Muslim must understand that the person who obtains a visitor’s visa enters into a contract with the country that grants him the visa. The state, as an institution, does that on behalf of its people. Despite those who look with suspicion at the state, especially if the ruler lacks legitimacy, the visa should be recognized as a legitimate agreement for guests of our countries to move freely about without harm…