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Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

Jihadist says Foley, Cantlie converted to Islam in captivity

Sep 25, 2014 8:54 am By Robert Spencer

isis-behead-journalist foleyThe  Qur’an says that “there is no compulsion in religion,” (2:256), but what constitutes “compulsion” is in the eye of the beholder. The institutionalized subjugation of the dhimma, with its regular humiliation and harassment, from which one can be freed for the simple price of converting to Islam, is not considered compulsion. Remember Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig, the journalists who were kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam — even though their conversions were obviously coerced, their captors made them say that they were converting freely, and the captors probably believed that themselves. After all, the journos could have chosen to be killed instead.

“Jihadist says Foley, Cantlie converted to Islam in captivity,” AFP, September 24, 2014:

Brussels (AFP) – Western journalists James Foley and John Cantlie converted to Islam while being held hostage in Syria, a Belgian newspaper quoted a jihadist suspect as saying Wednesday, adding that the pair may have been forced to do so.

Foley, an American, was beheaded by the Islamic State (IS) group last month, while Cantlie, a Briton, is believed to be still in captivity.

IS has been accused of forcing Christians and other minorities to convert to Islam during their sweep across parts of Iraq.

The Flemish-language newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws cited testimony from Jejoen Bontinck, a 19-year-old Belgian Islamist convert who was detained in October 2013 upon his return from an eight-month visit to Syria and charged with belonging to a terrorist group.

Bontinck told Belgian interrogators that in August 2013 IS suspected him of spying and put him in a prison in the region of Aleppo where the two Western journalists were being held, according to the newspaper.

“Foley and Cantlie were kidnapped by the Nusra Front,” the branch of Al-Qaeda in the country, “outside an Internet cafe,” the Belgian former fighter said.

He said the two journalists were moved about on several occasions and “tortured” while “barely getting enough to eat” before they were handed over to IS.

It was around two weeks into their captivity by IS that they told the young Belgian that they had converted to Islam, Bontinck was quoted as saying.

“They told me that they had not always led an exemplary life, that for example they had not shown enough respect for their mothers and that they understood it thanks to their conversion,” Bontinck said.

He said nonetheless that his jailers encouraged him to convince his two cellmates to convert to Islam, suggesting that the hostage takers had not taken seriously the two men’s prior conversion to Islam, the newspaper said.

The Islamic State broadcast a video of Foley’s murder on August 19. Another US journalist, Steven Sotloff, was beheaded two weeks later.

On September 18, the group broadcast a video of Cantlie, who said he had been kidnapped following his arrival in Syria in November 2012.

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Filed Under: Islamic State (aka ISIS, ISIL, Daesh), Jihadist intimidation and thuggery Tagged With: featured


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Comments

  1. Beagle says

    Sep 25, 2014 at 9:01 am

    Did they convert them to Shiites so they could murder them? Why is IS Allah never forgiving and merciful? IIRC, 9.6 covers this. Something about safety, not beheading.

    • Angemon says

      Sep 25, 2014 at 9:30 am

      That was exactly what I asked myself.

  2. Arafat says

    Sep 25, 2014 at 9:37 am

    OT…

    Duke University and its newspaper is one of the bigger supporters of Islam and haters of Israel out there in the American university system.

    Here are two articles published today in the Duke Chronicle illustrating this. Please take the time to write a comment slamming these articles, their authors and Duke more generally for creating an atmosphere where these types of articles are commonplace.

    http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2014/09/24/american-jew-palestine

    http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2014/09/24/isis-and-its-enemy-pluralistic-dialogue-and-understanding

    • Beagle says

      Sep 25, 2014 at 11:25 am

      The second editorial is hilarious. Deceit or stupidity so breathtaking it could only be an institution of ‘higher learning’.

      The Muhammad who beheaded hundreds of Jews at Banu Qurayza, that guy? The one who wrote a Quran full of hatred for Christians and especially Jews (all non-Muslims really)? She must mean Muhammad Ali or something.

  3. Lookmann says

    Sep 25, 2014 at 9:44 am

    MSM learning Robert’s ways? The original title of the article is just what RS would’ ve liked it to be.

    I see light at the end of the tunnel when more and more media outlets use the word jihad/jihadi.

  4. R Cole says

    Sep 25, 2014 at 10:01 am

    That there should be any suggestion that you had to convert to save your life!!

    There is the claim that there is no compulsion to Islam on one side and then there is life in any country under Islamic law – where you would call the police on your neighbor or family member who has left Islam.

    [And expect them to come!]

    So that no compulsion is meant for non-Muslims – of a Christian or Jewish background.

    Then there is the nonsensical killing of innocents claim – the definition of innocents that Obama might use ~ is very different from its meaning in Islam.

    In Islam the dividing wall is those who do what is forbidden and those who don’t – so that innocence would be determined by which side of that wall you fall on.

  5. Flying fish says

    Sep 25, 2014 at 10:08 am

    If that ‘dutch’ didn’t leave islam after escaping syria then hand him back to isis. People who experience the horrors and inhumanity of islam yet still cling on to it are the same as their jihadi comrades. They are not reliable because they didn’t trully repent (leave islam).

  6. Beagle says

    Sep 25, 2014 at 10:23 am

    “IS has been accused of forcing Christians and other minorities to convert to Islam during their sweep across parts of Iraq.”
    — —
    Just noticed this: “been accused of”.

    They’ve shot video of themselves forcing conversions. Numerous witnesses have confirmed it. IS has issued statements about the conversion of young male Yazidis under penalty of death for noncompliance.

    The media is more ‘fair’ to IS than Pam Geller or Robert Spencer. It is remarkable, though sadly not unexpected, to me that AFP is actually going out of its way to cast doubt upon IS atrocities.

  7. mortimer says

    Sep 25, 2014 at 10:40 am

    Even converting to Islam (insincerely) is no guarantee of safety.

    By the way, the ‘no compulsion in religion’ clause applies to breaking oaths that keep people from joining Islam. Mohammed clearly compelled people to join Islam by the use of death threats and torture, so this verse is falsely put out by the jihadists as part of their disinformation/taqiyya.

    • Myxlplik says

      Sep 25, 2014 at 12:39 pm

      I am under the impression that the “no compulsion” clause refers to the secrets people keep in their hearts, ergo there is no compulsion in faith, but people can be forced to submit to the will of Allah … by the hands of Muslims of course.

      So, the conversion to Islam can be more of a formal agreement to abide by Islamic rule than actually taking Islam into your heart.

      • Angemon says

        Sep 25, 2014 at 2:11 pm

        Myxlplik posted:

        “I am under the impression that the “no compulsion” clause refers to the secrets people keep in their hearts, ergo there is no compulsion in faith, but people can be forced to submit to the will of Allah … by the hands of Muslims of course.”

        2:256 reads:

        There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut[idolatry] and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.

        There’s no compulsion in religion – you’re free to either follow the right course or be filthy kufr which, in a muslim land, meant having to abide to a series of humiliating conditions, from which you could escape by converting to islam. Of course, this only applies to the People of the Book (mostly Jews and Christians) – polytheists weren’t allowed to keep their faith. For them it was literally run away, convert or die.

        And, of course, as Bukhari states, “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him”. So there was no compulsion for jews and christians to accept islam (they were free to keep practicing their faith, which meant to live under a series of harsh and humiliating conditions) but there was compulsion to stay in islam.

        • Porkistan says

          Sep 25, 2014 at 3:53 pm

          You BOTH don’t understand those suras.

          When Mo said “let there be no compulsion in relgion” he had only a few dozen followers in a giant multicultural/multireligious city.

          When Mo said the 100+ verses about killing unbelievers, and apostates he had 20,000 soldiers behind him.

          Almost everything decent (and reasonable) he said in Mecca he abrogated (canceled) while in Yathrib (Medina) and later when he came back (and invaded) Mecca.

        • Myxlplik says

          Sep 25, 2014 at 8:06 pm

          Thanks for your explanation Porkistan. Don’t remember where I read that… thought it was from one of Roberts books, clearly I need to double check my reference ..

    • gravenimage says

      Sep 25, 2014 at 12:53 pm

      Mortimer wrote:

      By the way, the ‘no compulsion in religion’ clause applies to breaking oaths that keep people from joining Islam.
      ………………………………..

      *Very* true, Mortimer. This Sura is just trotted out by Taqiyya-spewing apologists for the ‘edification’ of the credulous Kuffar—but its true meaning has nothing to do with religious tolerance.

      The Muslim Brotherhood’s “theorist”, Sayyid Qutb, wrote: “…The chasm between Islam and Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic “ignorance”) is great, and a bridge is not to be built across it so that the people on the two sides may mix with each other, but only so that the people of Jahiliyyah may come over to Islam…”

      In other words, *everything* in Islam, including this reference to “no compulsion in religion”, is intended to be a one-way street that makes conversion to Islam easier, and makes remaining non-Muslim as difficult as possible—indeed, often fatal.

  8. john spielman says

    Sep 25, 2014 at 10:55 am

    so sad , not only did Foley lose his life to Satanic fascist islam, but if he converted to islam then he lost his soul as well!

  9. gravenimage says

    Sep 25, 2014 at 12:24 pm

    Jihadist says Foley, Cantlie converted to Islam in captivity

    He said nonetheless that his jailers encouraged him to convince his two cellmates to convert to Islam, suggesting that the hostage takers had not taken seriously the two men’s prior conversion to Islam, the newspaper said.
    …………………………………

    And at least in James Foley’s case, his pious butchers *never* took his conversion seriously.

    And why would they, if all the converts could think to say was that after conversion they had greater respect for their Infidel mothers?

    God, I loathe Islam.

  10. voegelinian says

    Sep 25, 2014 at 12:58 pm

    Breaking News: Australian Police Shoot Dead Terrorist Suspect After Stabbing Attack

    “The death of the 18-year-old, who had allegedly been waving an Islamic State flag in a shopping center last week, comes amid a heightened sense of alert in Australia following reports of an alleged plot by Islamic State sympathizers to behead members of the public. ”

    http://online.wsj.com/articles/australian-police-shoot-dead-alleged-terror-suspect-1411523141

  11. Champ says

    Sep 25, 2014 at 2:52 pm

    Jihadist says Foley, Cantlie converted to Islam in captivity

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Then why are they dead?

    So if you don’t convert to islam, you die–and if you do convert to islam, you die. Got it!

    Wow, just when I thought that islam & company couldn’t get any more evil …

    And of course this is his word against dead men.

    • mariam rove says

      Sep 25, 2014 at 3:39 pm

      PS: US intelligence(S) have now identified this POS. They know who he is but they are not going to release his name and looking to capture him. M

      • Champ says

        Sep 25, 2014 at 8:14 pm

        Good!!! …thank you for the update, Mariam.

  12. GP says

    Sep 26, 2014 at 12:12 am

    IS LAM IS HATEFUL!

  13. profitsbeard says

    Sep 26, 2014 at 4:47 am

    This sets a unique supra-Mohammed precedent: ~ death to new converts, as instant martyrs, to serve the Cause.

    Suicide bombers… or suicide beheadeds … who didn’t know they were rigged to die by their new brethren in Allah.

    The putative prophet would approve.

    Since War is deceit.

  14. Cindy says

    Sep 26, 2014 at 5:50 am

    If that were true and they converted then why did these most vile creatures kill them???? They were supposed to be like them according to the ones that say they converted. So what was the reason for the killing then???? And how does that fit into what they say. Convert or die????? I think that they did not convert, I think they are liars. They are vile hateful people. I hate to call them human, I think they are more like demons!!!!

  15. Jack Gordon says

    Sep 26, 2014 at 9:42 am

    After reading this it is not at all clear that Jim Foley converted to the pathetic desert pervert’s religion. After all, the fellow who relates this story is a Mohammedan himself and, in my book, that puts everything he says in serious question. Muslims are liars until proven otherwise.

  16. mach37 says

    Sep 26, 2014 at 5:48 pm

    Convert or die; convert AND die. There is nothing to like about Islam.

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