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Learned Elders of Islam⢠call for release of hostages
Extremely heavily EFLA group of influential Sunni clerics called Wednesday for the release of five Westerners taken hostage last week in a wave of kidnappings, saying they should be granted their freedom as a humanitarian gesture. And so the dance begins. Insert minuet graphic here ---> The Association of Muslim Scholars, believed to have contacts with some Sunni insurgent groups, has helped mediate the release of other Western captives in Iraq. The association said releasing [German archaeologist Susanne] Osthoff would recognize Germany's "positive" stand toward Iraq. Germany strongly opposed the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. The statement also noted that Osthoff is married to an Iraqi Muslim, "who is a member of the Shammar tribe from Mosul and she works as an archaeologist." The Shammar tribe is one of the largest in Iraq and includes Shiites as well as Sunni clans. Vice President Ghazi al-Yawer is a senior figure in the tribe. The Association of Muslim Scholars said the release of the Christian aid workers would recognize their "good efforts in helping those in need." And in other Ummah news: In Ramallah, in the West Bank, Mufti Ikrema Sabri, the Palestinians' top Muslim clergyman, also called for their release. "These aid workers have stood beside (the) Palestinian people and it's our duty now to stand beside them," he said. Palestinians in several towns said they had worked with the activists and asked Sabri to issue the appeal. Posted by: Seafarious 2005-11-30 |
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