The Islamofascist Manifesto

The Islamofascist Manifesto used in evidence in the New York Trial of the 1998 U.S. Embassies Bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.

SCROLL DOWN FOR HOSTAGE VIDEO OBTAINED BY THE JAWA REPORT AND UPDATES FROM DEC 3RD. WHERE AN ULTIMATUM HAS BEEN GIVEN BY THE TERRORISTS

I heard from Ed Morrissey today that Professor Kember from the U.K. was kidnapped this weekend in Baghdad. Seventy year old Professor Norman Kember was travelling on a pilgrimage with some Shia Muslims from London. Needless to say I am outraged, and extend my sincerest support and prayer to his family.

British officials say they have set up an urgent investigation into the abduction of Mr Kember, a veteran peace activist.

UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said officials had been in touch with Mr Kember's family and that he had discussed the matter with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.

"We are working on the basis it is a kidnapping," Mr Straw said.

He added that the UK had a "clear and consistent" policy that it did not pay ransoms.

It is estimated that over the past year and a half, at least 200 foreigners have been abducted in Iraq. Some have been executed by their kidnappers. I understand that there is a multi national hostage team working on the kidnapping of The Professor as well as the other two Canadian nationals and one American, who were abducted at the same time.

A fellow blogger knows The Professor, and their families are close. It must be a terrible time for them all, and we pray for a speedy and safe return.

Kevin Aylward @ Wizbang has more. The Canadians are reporting that secret efforts are under way to negotiate their release, let's just hope that they are successful.

Update from Ekklesia.

The Jawa report has an extensive coverage with many links:

"My reading of Professor Kember's public statements is that he is a committed Christian pacifist in the Mennonite. Jehovah's Witness or Quaker sense. As such he is a perfect example of Christian fundamentalism vs. Islamic fundamentalism. Christian fundamentalists take Jesus' 'turn the other cheek' and Paul's exhortation to Roman soldiers to 'do no violence' very seriously and, indeed, are willing to die for their beliefs but never kill for them (in the Catholic tradition, Augustine is a good example).

Muslim fundamentalists, on the other hand, follow the example and teachings of Muhammed perfectly when they kill."

I shall bite my tongue, and abstain from further commenting on what is already a very delicate situation, which no one wishes to antagonize. Everyone who reads my blog knows how strongly I feel about this issue:

Die Hard $1MIL War Against Al Qaeda
Les Muslimerables Torch A Girl
Secular Democracy Held To Ransom
Islam's Prodigal Son

LATEST UPDATE: VIDEO OF HOSTAGES:

Dr Rusty Shackleford @ The Jawa Report has allegedly obtained a copy of the hostage video, scroll down to the bottom of their post. I also give you a link to Ian @The Political Teen who is hosting a segment of the chilling video here. Check out Jawa in any event, you'll find the most extensive updates. 

Michelle Malkin bloggs about it as well. The Anchoress has the transcript of the video.Hugh Hewitt weighs in as does Bill Quick @ The Daily Pundit and Jeff Goldstein @ Protein Wisdom:

"Are we seeing a redoubling of efforts to recruit jihadists to fight the infidels?  Or is something else happening here (say, for instance, the hostages are soon released with much fanfare as a sign of “mercy” to those who don’t wish to “wage war with Islam") as part of a PR campaign?"

And from The AP via Breitbart:

"Al-Jazeera broadcast an insurgent video Tuesday showing four peace activists taken hostage in Iraq, with a previously unknown group claiming responsibility for the kidnappings.
The Swords of Righteousness Brigade said the four were spies working undercover as Christian peace activists, Al-Jazeera said.
The tape broadcast by Al-Jazeera showed four men and a British passport belonging to Norman Kember.
A white-haired man shown in the passport photograph also was seen sitting on the floor next to three other men in the video, which had a date stamp indicating it was recorded Sunday.
The corner of the video showed two, crossed black swords and the name of the insurgent group written in red Arabic script."

UPDATE NOV.30TH: The kidnapped Britton's family issued an emotional plea today.

UPDATE DEC 1ST: Heated debate around the Blogosphere, but back in London, Harrow Baptist had a 12 hour prayer vigil yesterday, according to an email I received from Professor Worley, who is keeping me closely updated on the latest on Professor Kember. He is an old family friend of the kidnapped Professor.

UPDATE DEC 3RD:  From AP via Breitbart: "Al-Jazeera television broadcast a videotape Friday in which kidnappers of four Christian peace activists threatened to kill their hostages unless all prisoners in U.S. and Iraqi detention centers are released. The kidnappers gave the two governments until Dec. 8 to meet their demands, Al-Jazeera quoted a statement delivered with the tape."

The Political Teen has the video footage HERE. and more from WaPo  and Stop The ACLU.

Rusty Shacleford has as usual the most comprehensive round up of the updates HERE. and some more @ Pajamas Media.

 

Comments

[Alexandra]

amaria,

You are not quite being fair.
Yes there are mixed reports about The Professor, yours is often mentioned as is the claim that he was there to attempt to convert the Muslims, but all is unconfirmed.

Friends of his family, who have been in touch with me claim that he was here as a peace activist. And yes he may have also not revealed to his family either, what his real reasons were. He certainly is someone who is shall we say a little naive regarding the true political and religious aspect in Iraq.

I wrote the piece when the news originally broke, and as there were so many conflicting post-kidnapping theories about his motives, decided out of respect for the family, not to update the story, as thus far no one knows the truth. I would prefer to do it when The Professor himself tells us when he is released.

His views however, are not proof of his motive for being there, unless you have some more inside information and are not relying on the press, who have as time goes, on reported all of the above scenarios one by one.

[amaria]

Where did the notion arise that professor Norman Kember was a 'peace activist'?

Lazy journalism and "not wishing to rock the boat" springs to mind.

Kember was not in Iraq to make peace at all. He was there to try to collect allegations of human rights abuses against insurgents and terrorists by Iraqi and Coalition forces.

That is hardly making peace.

Which is why he may have been picked up by rogue elements in the Interior Ministry attached to the Badr brigades who then posed as Sunnis on the hostage video.

Otherwise like Sgrena and the other terrorist supporters who have been taken hostage he is probably just a burden to his captors and will be released when they get the opportunity to do so without being caught by Iraqi authorities.

The term 'peace activist' is much abused these days to cover liberal and left-wing actvity vis a vis Iraq.

Kember rejected outright the Iraqi government voted for by the Iraqi people and wanted the Iraqis to be 'liberated' from them.

[spiritofecstasy]

Just on one point; "unheard" of guerilla warfare factions (see; terrorists).

This is a taqiyyah tactic. Deception. A different name for the same ideology every week or month. Almost every Islamic attack/atrocity Worldwide has the "same" modus operandi
with a different "name."

All roads lead to R.

[Phil Bickel]

I am very skeptical of previously unheardof terrorist groups kidnapping members of publicity starved peace groups.

The last situation involved an Italian Communnist Journalist who's captors were paid a big ransom, for her release.

The Italians ran a US checkpoint after she was released, and an Italian Security Officer was killed. The US Military was not informed of her whereabouts, or the ransom plans. It makes you wonder especially since I know how much the Italian Communist hate the US government and the US Military.

She is still getting mileage out of event nearly a year later.

I actually hope it is a farce, I would hate to see anyone have to go through a kidnapping like that, especially with those murderous Jihadist and their track record.

I noticed that the spin already is that it is America's fault.

911 was our fault, Bali was our fault, Mogadishu was our fault for getting involved in a local problem, Rwanda was our fault for not getting involved, yada yada.

I hope it all works out, either way.

Phil from Jesus Land ( aka Ohio )