April 08, 2006

Shame on the Blogosphere for Jill Carroll Reaction

Last word on Jill Carroll kidnapping. Jeff Jacoby:

To some people hearing this, it was plain that Carroll could only have been speaking under duress. "Jill Carroll forced to make propaganda video as price of freedom," the Monitor headlined its story the next day. Anyone tempted to accuse Carroll of some other motive, cautioned Ellen Knickmeyer of The Washington Post, "should think about what they would do (after) three months with machine guns held to their heads."
What did I say about it? I hate to quote myself, but:
In it Jill Carroll seems more than eager to give the 'correct' answers asked by her captors. It's quite sickening some of the answers she gives, but understandable under the circumstances. But, before you accuse Jill of being a victim of Stockholm Syndrome, keep in mind that she was under duress....

Very scripted, very much what you would expect the terrorists wanted to hear.

And here:
What would you say to your captors after months as a prisoner? You'd tell them exactly what they want to hear. Remember, the only video we have of Jill Carroll are two segments taped while she was still a prisoner--under a considerable amount of duress. The second video we have is one taped in the offices of The Islamic Party of Iraq--the political front for the same terrorists who had victimized her!
Which Jill Carroll confirmed here:
"During my last night in captivity, my captors forced me to participate in a propaganda video. They told me I would be released if I cooperated. I was living in a threatening environment, under their control, and wanted to go home alive. So I agreed," she said in a statement read by her editor in Boston.

"Things that I was forced to say while captive are now being taken by some as an accurate reflection of my personal views. They are not."... ...In the statement, Carroll also disavowed an interview she gave to the party shortly after her release. She said the party had promised her the interview would not be aired "and broke their word."... ..."At any rate, fearing retribution from my captors, I did not speak freely. Out of fear, I said I wasn't threatened. In fact, I was threatened many times," she said. "Also, at least two false statements about me have been widely aired: One — that I refused to travel and cooperate with the U.S. military, and two — that I refused to discuss my captivity with U.S. officials. Again, neither statement is true."

Jill Carroll was the victim here, and the class which she showed upon her release should put many to shame. Unlike Giuliana Sgrena, she has so far refused to use her personal ordeal to push her political agenda and has forcefully spoken out against the barbarians who held her hostage!

Jim Geraghty also chimes in against both the Right and Left, but since we've already discussed the Right's reaction:

There was much ugliness on the right, but there was plenty of the same nastiness to go around on the left. Shortly after her initial remarks, John Podhoretz predicted on National Review Online's group blog The Corner that there would be a lot of talk about Stockholm Syndrome. Shortly thereafter, a contributor to the liberal blog ThinkProgress demanded an apology (presumptuously speaking for Carroll) and other commenters on that site wished for Podhoretz to get kidnapped himself, labeling him a "Reichwingnut" and so on.

No matter how much you may disagree with a network anchor, reporter or columnist, it's unheard of for a professional writer to say in published work, "I hope that guy gets kidnapped." Even on his worst day, it's unimaginable that Rather (or Bob Schieffer, or any new anchor) would label, on-air an opponent a "Reichwingnut." (Okay, maybe Bryant Gumbel. But when he called Robert Knight "a ****ing idiot," he at least thought he was off the air. ) Nor is any columnist likely to speculate in print that abducted prisoners are in cahoots with their captors, at least without evidence....

The Pajamahadeen have gone from fact-checking Dan Rather to speculating that Jill Carroll faked her tears on her hostage tape. This is not progress.

No it is not.

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April 01, 2006

Jill Carroll Says Video Interviews Taken Under Duress.

You might say? Good job Jill and weÂ’re glad you are safe.

AP via Yahoo : "During my last night in captivity, my captors forced me to participate in a propaganda video. They told me I would be released if I cooperated. I was living in a threatening environment, under their control, and wanted to go home alive. So I agreed," she said in a statement read by her editor in Boston.

"Things that I was forced to say while captive are now being taken by some as an accurate reflection of my personal views. They are not."... ...In the statement, Carroll also disavowed an interview she gave to the party shortly after her release. She said the party had promised her the interview would not be aired "and broke their word."... ..."At any rate, fearing retribution from my captors, I did not speak freely. Out of fear, I said I wasn't threatened. In fact, I was threatened many times," she said. "Also, at least two false statements about me have been widely aired: One — that I refused to travel and cooperate with the U.S. military, and two — that I refused to discuss my captivity with U.S. officials. Again, neither statement is true."

I can certainly understand why Jill might have said those things. We all would too most likely. She did the right thing remember they said they would kill her it she said this after her release. Brave statement.

Another Yahoo link.

More here at the Christian Science Monitor.

Also see LGF no fooling around, In The bullpen and Captain Ed.

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March 31, 2006

Blaming the Rape Victim: Jill Carroll

Allah has a roundup of some of the reactions to the Jill Carroll video released yesterday. It's disturbing that so many are willing to begin naysaying the character of one who has been victimized for the past three months. Debbie Schlussel's post here, especially (Hat tip: Allah).

What would you say to your captors after months as a prisoner? You'd tell them exactly what they want to hear. Remember, the only video we have of Jill Carroll are two segments taped while she was still a prisoner--under a considerable amount of duress. The second video we have is one taped in the offices of The Islamic Party of Iraq--the political front for the same terrorists who had victimized her!

As I wrote to Allah earlier today:

After devoting considerable time to the subject I've become a bit more
sympathetic to the plight of hostages. Whether or not she was
anti-American to begin with is irrelevant since she was a civilian
operating in a war-zone. Her political views do not change the fact
that her captors are savages operating outside the laws of war. I
think we should give people the benefit of the doubt, especially when
they are victims.

A lot of really slutty chicks get raped, but there's no reason to
bring up that fact right after they've been victimized.

Once she's home if she starts acting like Giuliana Sgrena we'll call
her on it. Until then, my advice to the blogosphere is to have some
class.

So, let's reserve judgement on this one until she is free to speak her mind without fear of retribution.

And thanks to Allah for e-mailing me. I feel like I've finally made it.

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March 30, 2006

Terrorists Release Final Jill Carroll Hostage Video (Video / Images)


The terrorists of 'The Revenge Brigades' have released a video shot just prior to Jill Carroll's release. The Jawa Report has obtained a copy of the video. You can see the raw video here, courtesy of Bareknucklespolitics. For information on today's release of Jill Carroll, go here.

It appears that the video was shot in two sittings over a period of time. In the second portion of the video, Jill Carroll seems much less enthused about what she is saying and does not have the smile and other expressions of the first segment.

In it Jill Carroll seems more than eager to give the 'correct' answers asked by her captors. It's quite sickening some of the answers she gives, but understandable under the circumstances. But, before you accuse Jill of being a victim of Stockholm Syndrome, keep in mind that she was under duress.

For instance, Jill Carroll can be heard saying that the CIA and Americans were not as smart as the mujahidin given the fact that they were unable to rescue her. That her ordeal made it clear that the mujahidin would win the war in the end. She wants the American people to understand the mujahidin as they really are, and not the lies they hear in the media about them being terrorists, etc. The mujahidin are only trying to defend their country, etc. President bush needs to stop this war, etc.

Very scripted, very much what you would expect the terrorists wanted to hear. No word about the translator these people murdered. No word to them about stopping the war. No word about them being responsible for the misery of the civillian population.

LGF has a portion of the transcript up. more...

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American Hostage Jill Carroll Free (Updated)

American journalist Jill Carroll has been freed by her captors. This post will be updated throughout the day. Scroll through for updates.

UPDATE: Jill Carroll video interview here. Hat tip: Allah

Another update: The terrorists of 'The Revenge Brigades' have released a video shot just prior to Jill Carroll's release. You can see the raw video here. A more detailed report and images from the new Jill Carroll video is here. In it Jill Carroll seems more than eager to give the 'correct' answers asked by her captors. It's quite sickening some of the answers she gives, but understandable under the circumstances. But, before you accuse Jill of being a victim of Stockholm Syndrome, keep in mind that she was under duress.

Jill Carroll had been held hostage for nearly three months by a terrorist organization calling itself 'The Revenge Brigades'. The group killed her translator, but Carroll's driver escapted. The group had demanded the release of all female Iraqi prisoners or they would execute Carroll, but let several deadlines pass & it was never clear just how serious the threats were.

Contrary to media reports, a group calling itself 'The Revenge Brigades' had been involved in kidnappings prior to Jill Carroll. A group with the same name held an Iraqi born Christian named Minas Ibrahim al-Yusufi, who had Swedish citizenship, hostage for some months. The group initially threatened to behead him, released a hostage video, and then, like Jill Carroll, he was released unharmed. At the time, rumor was that a ransom had been paid.

This demand, along with the timing , had led to speculation that The Islamic Army in Iraq was somehow involved in Jill Carroll's kidnapping. The Islamic Army in Iraq is one of the main terror organizations in Iraq and has been involved in several high profile kidnappings and routinely murders hostages. The group has also been linked to the kidnapping of four Western activists, one of whom--American Tom Fox--was found murdered on the streets of Baghdad. The remaing three were rescued by Coalition forces.

Several videos had been released by the terror organization showing Ms. Carroll. In the first hostage video, The Revenge Brigades threatened to murder Jill Carroll. In the second hostage video, Jill Carroll seemed to be under duress and could be seen crying. In the final short video, Jill Carroll seemed to be well and in good spirits.

For more information on the Jill Carroll hostage crisis please see our archive devoted exclusively to Jill Carroll. For more information on other hostages in Iraq, please see our extensive hostage archive.

AP:


"I was treated well, but I don't know why I was kidnapped," Carroll said in a brief interview on Baghdad television.

Even though the group threatened twice to kill her in videotapes, Carroll said, "They never hit me. They never said they would hit me."

She was wearing a light green Islamic headscarf, a gray Arabic robe and looked well.

"Obviously, I want to be with my family," she could be heard to say under the Arabic voiceover.

"I'm just happy to be free. I want to be with my family.

Yesterday, Jill Carroll's twin sister had made an emotional video taped appeal for Jill's release.
The twin sister of kidnapped journalist Jill Carroll pleaded for her release on Arab television Wednesday, saying her sister is a "wonderful person" who is an "innocent woman."

Katie Carroll read a statement on Al-Arabiya, noting that there had been no word from her sister's captors in Iraq in almost two months.

"I've been living a nightmare, worrying if she is hurt or ill," Katie Carroll said, according to a transcript released by the Christian Science Monitor. "There is no one I hold closer to my heart than my sister and I am deeply worried wondering how she is being treated."

Some are speculating that Carroll's release comes because of increased efforts to free hostages by Iraqi and Coallition troops. Her release comes only a week after American troops rescued three peace activists.

Apparently, Carroll's captors turned her over to the Islamic Party office in western Baghdad. The Islamic Party is the major Sunni party in Iraq and is a Salaafist organization (wants Sharia and return of Caliphate) with links to the insurgency.

According to bRight and Early: Fox News is reporting that her father, Jim Carroll, "wants to thank the thousands who have prayed." Amen.

UPDATE:It should be remembered by all that the only statement we have from Jill Carroll was one given by her just after her release in the offices of the Islamic Party and with cameras rolling. Further, it is not necessarily "Stockholm Syndrome" to claim that captors often treat hostages well--they often do.

Now the NYT (via Bad Hair Blog) reports that one of the leaders of the Islamic party, Dr. Tariq Al-hashmi, is claiming responsibility for winning Jill Carroll's release. This is very interesting, indeed. Especially after the last few days in which many see a change in the political atmosphere in Iraq, with reports of Sunnis now seeing the Americans as allies to protect them from Shia militias and Shias--the traditional U.S. allies in Iraq--becoming suspect of the Coalition.

The Carroll family press release, notice especially:

Finally, our thoughts are with the families of others still being held hostage in Iraq, and we hope that their loved ones will soon return safely to them.
Amen. American Dean Sadek is still being held hostage in Iraq.

Another update: Natasha and Jeff Tynes are friends of Jill Carroll and Natasha has some very delightful reaction.

This post is a follow up to Mike Pechar's earlier story.

Reports just in indicate that no ransom or negotiations were made by the Christian Science Monitor, but the leader of the Islamic Party of Iraq, Tariq al- Hashimi, was somehow involved in her release. U.S. officials also deny negotiating for Jill's release.

Walid Phares asks intereesting questions, especially about the connection of the jihadis who kidnapped Jill and the Islamic Party.

President Bush reacts: "I'm really grateful she was released, and thank those who worked hard for her release, and we're glad she's alive."

More updates: Charles Johnson: Her interpreter, murdered during the kidnapping, was not available for comment. Indeed.

Committee to Protect Journalists reacts: "We are overjoyed that this ordeal has finally ended and that Jill Carroll has been returned safely," CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper said. "We continue to call for the release of other remaining captives in Iraq, and we urge armed groups to stop targeting innocent civilians."

Judy Klinghoffer speculates that ransom was involved. It would certainly not be the first time ransom was paid for a hostage. If she's right, it would only lead to more Western kidnappings and killings. However, as I hope I've made clear in the above, my suspicions are that the Islamic Party of Iraq--which has ties to the insurgency--was able to secure Jill's release as a political ploy. Both the CSM and U.S. government have denied ransom was paid, although it is not out of the question that the Islamic Party might have used money to influence the hostage-takers.

Others: Mike Pechar, Opinion Bug, Hyscience, Stop the ACLU, Outside the Beltway, Danny Carlton, Captain Ed, Clarity and Resolve, Poliblog, Politburo Diktat, Slublog, Small Dead Animals, Wizbang, Scared Monkeys, Right Winged, NTodd, Sandmonkey, Dean Esmay, bRight and Early, Lawhawk, Dan Riehl, Bad Hair Blog, Pajama Media, Boing Boing, Israellycool, Think Progress

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Hostage Jill Carroll Freed

(Baghdad) Breaking good news!

Jill Carroll has been released after being held hostage for nearly three months and is reported to be in good condition.

UPDATES: Expanded story and updates on Jill Carroll here.

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March 01, 2006

Claim: Islamic Army in Iraq holds Jill Carroll

The Iraqi Interior Minister has claimed that the Islamic Army in Iraq is holding Jill Carroll, and that she is alive and well. This is a very odd claim. Some of you may remember that we were the first media outlet to reveal that the Islamic Army in Iraq was behind the kidnapping of four Western peacekeepers--still missing.

In any event, we pray for Jill Carroll's immediate release.

NY Sun:

American reporter Jill Carroll is being held by the Islamic Army in Iraq, the insurgent group that freed two French journalists in 2004 after four months in captivity, Iraq's Interior Minister said yesterday.

Interior Minister Bayan Jabr, who is in charge of Iraq's police, also said he believed the 28-year-old freelance reporter for the Christian Science Monitor is still alive, although the deadline set by her captors for America to meet their demands expired Sunday.

Three videotapes provided by the kidnappers to Arab satellite television stations identified the group holding her as the previously unknown "Revenge Brigades." She was seized January 7 in Baghdad and her translator was killed.

However, Mr. Jabr told Iraqi television that he believes Ms. Carroll is being held by the Islamic Army in Iraq, one of the country's principal insurgent groups.

Mr. Jabr said the same group was responsible for kidnapping his sister, who was seized about four days before Ms. Carroll and freed about two weeks later.

"The kidnapping of the American journalist, Jill Carroll, occurred about the same time as the abduction of my sister," he said. "I was equally keen to get both of them released. I recognized that the Islamic army was responsible for both plots."

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February 27, 2006

Jill Carroll Execution Deadline Passes

The deadline set by terrorists in which they claimed they would murder American reporter Jill Carroll if all female prisoners in Iraq were not released has passed. No word on the fate of Jill Carroll.

We pray Jill Carroll is released unharmed.

The good news is that that several similar deadlines have already passed, so hopefully the SOBs holding Jill Carroll are just making idle threats.

Washington Post:

"The Ministry of Interior said that she is alive and that they have information with regard to where she might be held," Khalilzad said in an interview with Fox News.

"The minister announced today that he is optimistic about her release," he said.

The U.S. ambassador did not say how the Interior Ministry knew about Carroll's well-being.

An apparent deadline set by kidnappers holding Carroll in Iraq passed Sunday with no word.

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February 24, 2006

Another Deadline Looms for Jill Carroll


The bombings burning and general chaos in Iraq this week are hardly conducive to the release of Ms. Carroll. However letÂ’s not let that stop us for praying for her freedom. Monsters and Critics gives us five reasons why Jill should be released, IÂ’ll sample one here.

Monsters and Critics :If Jill Carroll is killed, her captors will be denounced by Muslims worldwide for murdering an innocent woman. In short, they will have handed their enemies a huge propaganda victory.
Has there not been enough suffering and loss in Iraq this week without adding to it the senseless murder of an innocent woman? There is not one ounce of gain for Iraq or Islam by her abduction and threatened murder. If she is killed, Islam and Iraq gets another black eye. Her release however could generate much goodwill. Choose wisely and release Jill without further delay!

Jill Carroll Archive here. more...

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February 10, 2006

Murder Deadline for Jill Carroll Set for Feb. 26

Jill Carroll's terrorist captors are warning that they will murder the American hostage if their demand that all female Iraqi prisoners be released. The terrorists gave the Iraqi governmet until Feb. 26th. Also, an informer told a private Kuwaiti TV station that he knew where Jill Carroll is. I pray that this Arab TV station cooperates with the Iraqi and American forces so that Jill Carroll can be liberated from her barbaric captors before it is too late.

A note accompanied the video released of Jill Carroll yesterday. I guess we now know what was on the note. Apparently, there is also a ransom demand.

AP: more...

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February 09, 2006

Third Jill Carroll Hostage Video

A new video has appeared on a private Kuwaiti television station of American hostage Jill Carroll. This is the third video released of Jill Carroll. The Kuwaiti TV station did not play the full video and did not release copies of a note which is said to have accompanied the video.

The segment of the video aired can bee seen here (right side). In the video, Jill Carroll does not appear to be in distress. In fact, of the dozens of hostage videos I've seen, this is the first time where the hostage actually seems completely fine. However, only a portion of the tape has been released to the public so we don't know what else is on it. (Hat tip to Tim at OpinionBug for link)

Oddly, this is the first time a hostage video has been delivered to any one other than al Jazeera. Also, several deadlines have past since Jill Carroll's hostage takers threatened to murder her. Perhaps these are good signs that her captors are only after money and not like the hardcore jihadis who have murdered hostages in the past? We pray for Jill Carroll's immediate release.

For more information about Jill Carroll and the previous hostage videos click here.

Reuters:

An American journalist being held hostage in Iraq appeared in a new video tape aired on a private Kuwaiti TV station on Thursday appealing for help in securing her release.

Jill Carroll, 28, was wearing a headscarf and appeared in good health in the brief video aired by Al Rai TV.

"I'm here with the mujahideen. I sent you a letter written by hand. I'm here, I'm fine. Please just do whatever they want," she said. "Give them whatever they want as quickly as possible. There is very short time. Please move fast."

She said the video had been recorded on February 2, but did not say what was in the letter that the TV station received along with the tape.

Jassem Boodai, the chairman of Al Rai TV, told Reuters that the station did not plan to broadcast the contents of the letter. "Because of the sensitive matters mentioned in it, we handed it over to Kuwaiti authorities," he said.

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January 31, 2006

Al Jazeera Making Money on Jill Carroll Hostage Video?

I've always thought al Jazeera was the most despicable media organization on Earth. They are objectively pro-terror, pro-tyranny, and pro-fascism. What I did not know, however, was that the frequent hostage videos aired by al Jazeera are then sold to Western media outlets for rebroadcast. If this is true, then the Western mainstream media is partially culpable for the plight of Western hostages in Iraq.

While many hostages are taken for purely financial reasons, others, including Jill Carroll, were taken for their propaganda value. Their terrorist captors find value in the fact that the Western media will replay her hostage videos over and over. Just like they did Giulana Sgrena's. This reinforces the notion that the terrorists are winning. And if people in the West believe the terrorists are winning, they will have less of a will to fight. Why fight a losing battle?

If true, shame on the Western media for paying the terrorists' media arm, al Jazeera, for a news story.

Human Events:

Having gotten their scoop, Al-Jazeera will then sell rights to the video to other networks, including American news channels. This generates income for the money-losing network and provides a measure of cover: If everyone else is airing them, why single them out?

Networks like hostage videos because they are newsworthy and form the basis for follow-on stories. There are relatives pleading for the release of their loved ones, generals asserting that we don't negotiate with terrorists, and pundits moaning that things must really be going badly. And at many networks, the "if it bleeds it leads" rule has a corollary: If it hurts Bush, give it a push.

The problem with these hostage videos is two-fold. First, they provide aid and comfort to our enemies in time of war. While a 30-second tape by a random terror groups may lack the propaganda punch of a rambling Osama tape, it will be followed by another almost exactly like it, and then another, dampening resolve and eroding morale.

Second, the publicity these tapes provide teaches aspiring terrorists that the price of admission for an airing of their grievances is not joining the political process, but simply grabbing a foreign hostage. This endangers every foreigner in Iraq, not just those seen as occupiers. [emphasis mine]

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January 30, 2006

Another Jill Carrol Hostage Video Emerges

jill.carroll.aljazeera.second.hostage.video.jpgUPDATE 2/09/06: Third Jill Carroll hostage video here.

Scroll through for updates or check the MAIN PAGE here or our pages dedicated exclusively to Jill Carroll for the latest news on Jill Carroll and other hostages in Iraq.
----------
Disturbing news that al Jazeera has released yet another Jill Carroll video. This time, the massogonistic terrorists force Ms. Carroll to cover her head. Sickening.

UPDATE: While we continue to search for the unedited video, you can see the al Jazeera broadcast here (see right side of screen). As further evidence of al Jazeera's objectively pro-terrorist stance, anti-Americanism, and lies, earlier reports by the station itself that no audio were shown are not true. Al Jazeera does let this bit of audio slip by in the background:

their own government [inaudible] Iraq...let these people go home to their families
Undoubtedly a reference to the female Iraqi prisoners.

Roy Hallums, a hostage liberated by U.S. troops, related that when his terrorist captors wanted him to cry on his video, they first beat him. They said they wanted his tears to look 'believable'.

We pray for Jill Carroll's immediate release and for divine retribution to visit her captors. Hopefully in the form of the unpleasent end of an M16.

Al Jazeera:

Jill Carroll, the kidnapped US journalist, has appeared in a new video on Aljazeera, weeping and appealing for the release of women Iraqi prisoners.

The video, aired by Aljazeera on Monday, shows Carroll wearing a veil and weeping.

Jill-carroll-weeping.jpg
The video had no sound, but Aljazeera said she appealed for the release of women Iraqi prisoners. [Ed note: this is a deliberate falsehood on al Jazeera's part. Al Jazeera edited out most of Jill Carroll's pleas, but not a bit asking for the release of female prisoners]

Carroll is visibly crying in the video and wears a veil as she speaks to the camera. The footage has a time signature with the date 28 January.

Aljazeera's newscaster said in the video Carroll appeals to the US military and the Iraqi Interior Ministry to release all women in their prisons and that this "would help in winning her release".

More information and background about the Jill Carroll hostage situation can be found here.

UPDATE: Come to think of it, this is VERY good news. Jill Carroll's captors had given the U.S. a 72 hour deadline to release female prisoners in Iraq. That deadline expired 8 days before this film was time stamped. While it is still possible that her life is being threatened, the fact that they've let at least two deadlines pass without (apparently) harming her is a sign that perhaps their threats are idle.

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January 28, 2006

Arrests in Jill Carroll Kidnapping

The story of three arrests in the Jill Carroll hostage crisis came out last week when I was sick and I somehow overlooked posting on it. The story is now four days old, and, despite the arrests, Carroll's fate remains unknown. We pray she is safe from the hands of the bastards holding her.

Macsmind has the details.

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January 26, 2006

CSM, Letters in Support of Jill Carroll.


It is now seven days from the deadline set by the terrorists who kidnapped her. Today the Christian Science Monitor has published some of the letters they have received in support for Jill. Among the letters is one from Susan Hallums, the daughter of Roy Hallums, who was held for many months before his rescue.

Susan Hallums VIA CSM : I am praying for the safe release of Jill Carroll in Iraq. She was there to help the people of Iraq. She is a good, kind, giving person who put herself there to give to and to teach Iraqis. My family suffered for 311 days while our loved one Roy, a contractor in Iraq, was being held hostage. It was so difficult to keep going before his release. If we can help Jill's family in any way, we are here for them. Stay strong and keep the faith. We have a website: hostagefamilymatters.com.
Susan Hallums
Corona, Calif.

Patrick Kerr Via CSM : I was a public affairs officer with the Marines in Iraq last year and had the privilege of working with Jill on several occasions. Her professionalism and objectivity were unparalleled within the media community. I saw her in Husaybah, on the Syrian border, in early December shortly before I returned to the States. Aside from being very personable and down-to-earth, what really struck me was Jill's bravery. She seemed to fit right in with the Marines and Iraqi security forces. It is this attribute, I believe, that will see her through her current ordeal. My family and I will continue to keep Jill in our prayers. I am hopeful for her eventual release.
Patrick Kerr
New Orleans

To convey your support for Jill and join the chorus of voices calling for her immediate release, follow this link.

Our prayers go out to Jill that she will be released unharmed.

See the Jill Carroll Acrhive for background.

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January 21, 2006

CAIR Calls for Hostage Release (Sort of)

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is making a big deal out of the fact that they have sent two representatives to Iraq to work for Jill Carroll's release. Instead of taking the opportunity to show Islam as a humane religion by forcefully rejecting all hostage taking as barbarism, they base their appeal on the fact that Jill Carroll was an antiwar journalist.

Perhaps American hostages Dean Sadek and Jeffrey Ake don't merit CAIR's attention since they were in Iraq working with the U.S. or Iraqi governments.

CAIR press release:

“We, the undersigned representatives of the American Muslim community, call for the immediate and unconditional release of Jill Carroll, a journalist with a well-documented record of objective reporting and respect for both the Iraqi people and Arab-Islamic culture.
By "objective" CAIR means that she emphasized the suffering of the Iraqi people under war time conditions--something that would be immediately recognized as an anti-American statement in the Muslim world.

One might say that the conditional attached by CAIR was simply a tactic aimed at winning over the hostage takers. It is possible that CAIR finds all hostage taking barbaric, but chooses only to emphasize Jill Carroll's reporting because that might help win her freedom. But if that is the case, why did CAIR not send any one to Iraq when Jeffrey Ake or Roy Hallums was taken hostage?

“We ask that her captors show mercy and compassion by releasing her so that she may return to her family. Certainly, no cause can be advanced by harming a person who only sought to let the world know about the human suffering caused by the conflict in Iraq.”
The Islamofascist front group CAIR again reveals the shallowness of their devotion to the basic premise that taking hostages is uncivilized. I wonder if CAIR believes that a cause might be advanced had the hostage been some one dedicated to revealing what slimy pieces of filth the Iraqi 'resistance' really is?

If CAIR is the best that American Muslims can do, they are truly hurting for leadership.

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January 20, 2006

Deadline Looms for Jill Carroll

The 72 hour deadline set by The Revenge Brigade may have already expired, depending on when they started the clock. We pray that Jill Carroll is immediately released unharmed.

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January 19, 2006

Appeal To Hostage Takers Reveals Hypocrisy of the Left

The mother, family and friends of American hostage Jill Carroll are appealing to the terrorist scumbags of The Revenge Brigade for her release. If you are a believer in any sort of God who intervenes in the affairs of man, please offer your prayers on Jill's behalf.

What is so interesting about Jill Carroll's mother's appeal is that it reveals the underlying assumption that even those on the Left have about the terrorists ('freedom fighter' or 'Iraqi Minutemen' to the Left) that we fight. What is that assumption? That the terrorists are murdering, uncivilized, pieces of human garbage.

Wait, you say, I'm on the Left and I don't believe the insurgents are really bad people. They just want the U.S. out of their country and they are driven (read: forced) to take extreme measures to accomplish their goals. You would do the same.

Of course, those making this claim do not really believe it. Let us examine Mary Beth Carroll's words. I am not accusing her of being on the Left, but the same rhetoric comes from organizations such as The Christian Peacemakers team, Giuliana Sgrena's Il Manifesto, and murdered hostage Margaret Hassan's CAIR International--all on the Left. AP:

The mother of abducted American reporter Jill Carroll appealed Thursday for her daughter's release, a day before the deadline captors set for killing her if U.S. authorities don't release all Iraqi women in military custody.

"They've picked the wrong person. If they're looking for someone who is an enemy of Iraq, Jill is just the opposite," Mary Beth Carroll told CNN's "American Morning."

She said video images aired by Al-Jazeera television on Tuesday gave her hope that her daughter is alive but also have "shaken us about her fate."

"I, her father and her sister are appealing directly to her captors to release this young woman who has worked so hard to show the sufferings of Iraqis to the world," she said, reading from a written statement....

"We hope that her captors will show Jill the same respect in return," she said. "Taking vengeance on my innocent daughter, who loves Iraq and its people, will not create justice." [emphasis mine]

Of course, if I were a relative of Jill Carroll I would be doing anything and everything to secure her release, even if that meant taking the "she's not your enemy" tactic (even if that meant paying ransom). So, let me reemphasize that I believe Mrs. Carroll's words are perfectly legitimate under the circumstances.

But here words remind me of similar statements by Islamic clerics, Leftist organizations, and Borders sans frontiers all of whom make the same arguement, yet have no personal stake in the outcome of the hostage crisis. Taking Mrs. Carroll's words as an example of Leftist rhetoric, do you see how the underlying assumption is revealed? The insurgents would not kill Jill Carroll if they understood that she is a journalist on their side. The opposite, then, must be true: if Jill Carroll was a pro-war journalist then the natural course of events would be for the insurgents to kill her.

What kind of people intentionally murder unarmed civilians who are under their control? Even those on the extreme Left must admit that murdering a civilian is a barbarous and uncivillized act, and that those engaged in such psychopathic behavior are subhuman scumbags.

But, there is a state of denial by the extreme Left. They believe that the political orientation of the hostage should have some bearing on whether or not killing them is vile murder, or just the tragic consequences of war. They may not realize that they believe this, but they do, as revealed by their own words.

And the ability to differentiate how worthy hostage victims are of death puts those on the extreme Left who engage in such judgement in a similar category as the murdering terrorists who they are so eager to condemn only when the hostage shares their political persuasion: they too are evil vile scum.

Remember the recently reiterated words of the nation's most popular blogger, Leftist Markos Zuniga of The Daily Kos, when he found out American civilian contractors had been murdered in Fallujah: Screw them.

To those who take and murder hostages in Iraq, I have a different message: do not kill Jill Carroll, because she is a human being who poses no imminent threat to your safety and killing her would make you a murderer. Her political stance is unimportant. Murdering any hostage is wrong.

Murdering anyone, regardless of the victim's politics, is an act of evil which cuts your soul off from humanity. If you do kill her, I hope you are hunted down like the pigs you are, and slaughtered. For you have reealed your own inhumanity and no longer can claim the rights and priveleges of man.

And to those who would appeal to the hostage takers by arguing that Jill Carroll ought not be killed because she is really on their side, please think about what you are saying. Your words reveal what you really think of the insurgents in Iraq. And if you are still comfortable supporting them after this assumption has been clarified, then there is nothing left to say. Your nature has been unmasked for all the world to see.

UPDATE: See the subtitled al Jazeere video of Jill Carroll from MEMRI here (thanks to Tribeca). Notice the reason why al Jazeera supports the release of Jill Carroll? Because she is a journalist and they are obliged to support journalists going unharmed.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:35 AM | Comments (135) | Add Comment
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January 18, 2006

Iraqis Cave to Hostage Demands, Release Six of Eight Female Detainees

Why terrorists take hostages.

1) Take hostage.
2) Make demands.
3) Demands are met.
4) Release hostage.

Lesson learned? Taking hostages is effective. Take more hostages.

BBC News:

Iraq's ministry of justice has told the BBC that six of the eight women being held by coalition forces in Iraq have been released early.

The six were freed because there was insufficient evidence to charge them, a justice ministry spokesman said.

The US forces have refused to confirm the releases, but say they would not be based on any operational activities.

The group holding US journalist Jill Carroll has said she will die unless all Iraqi women prisoners are freed.

The status of prisoners held by coalition forces is reviewed twice a week by a committee made up of the justice, human rights and interior ministries, and a representative of the US-led coalition.

The justice ministry spokesman said it was this committee which had studied the cases of the six women and found insufficient evidence against them.

Even if the women would have eventually been released, as the article suggests, releasing them now certainly sends the wrong message to the terrorist scum that ransom hostages for money or political goals.

UPDATE: Speaking of caving to terrorists demands, the sister of the Iraqi Interior Ministry has been released. If you will recall, she was taken hostage by a group claiming to be The Revenge Brigade. This is the same group that is holding Jill Carroll hostage.

Thanks to George for sending this BBC link:

The sister of Iraq's interior minister has been freed some two weeks after being kidnapped at gunpoint, an interior ministry official has said.

Ali al-Khaqani confirmed Bayan Jabr's sister had been released, but would not say whether a ransom had been paid.

Posted by: Rusty at 10:20 AM | Comments (19) | Add Comment
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In a nation of 26 million, the U.S. holds only EIGHT female Iraqi prisoners

Yesterday The Revenge Brigade released a video tape of American journalist and hostage Jill Carroll claiming they would murder her if all female Iraqi prisoners were not released by the U.S. That demand--that women be released from prison--has been a common one among jihadi terrorists in Iraq.

No doubt those jihadis believe the lies and propaganda put out by pan-Arabic and Leftwing media that the U.S. is detaining hundreds--if not thousands--of women. Worse than that, these media outlets claim that U.S. forces routinely murder, rape, and purposefully humiliate Iraqi women.

So, how many women is the U.S. holding in Iraq? EIGHT.

No doubt there have been abuses in Iraq, but to claim that America is systematically demoralizing Iraq's women when only eight of them are being detained is a lie of magnificient proportions. Such lies and propaganda have consequences. The continued killing of American troops and kidnapping of civilian hostages is one of them.

ABC News.

U.S. forces in Iraq said on Wednesday they were holding eight women prisoners, after the abductors of an American journalist threatened to kill her if the authorities did not free all Iraqi women within 72 hours.

"We have eight females. They are being held for the same reasons as the others, namely that they are a threat to security," said Lieutenant Aaron Henninger, a spokesman for the U.S. military detentions operation. Some 14,000 men are held at Abu Ghraib and other jails on suspicion of insurgent activity.

Posted by: Rusty at 09:11 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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