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OIC condemns Korean abductions
(AKI/AsianAge) - The Organisation of the Islamic Conference, which represents 57 mostly Muslim countries, has condemned the killing of a second South Korean hostage in Afghanistan, saying such "savage acts" can never be sanctioned under Islam.The bullet-riddled body of Shim Sung Min was found by Afghan police in Ghazni province on Tuesday. "We are saddened by the killing of the second hostage," said the organisation's Jeddah-based general secretariat in a statement. "We call for an immediate release of the remaining hostages." "We remind those who are holding the South Koreans hostage that kidnapping and taking innocent civilians hostage run counter to the tenets of Islam," the statement said. "Islam preaches peace, moderation and coexistence." Twenty-three South Koreans citizens were abducted on July 19 on a highway as their bus travelled from Kabul to Kandahar. They were members of a Protestant church group on a 10-day relief mission to Afghanistan. Most are women in their 20s and 30s and include teachers and nurses. On Monday, Al Jazeera TV broadcast a grainy video showing several of the hostages cowering in fear. Some of the women were wearing headscarves. An Al Jazeera anchor said the footage was obtained from a source outside Afghanistan. The Taliban abductors are demanding the release of at least eight of their members from various Afghan prisons. However, Afghan president Hamid Karzai has pledged not to swap prisoners for hostages. A spokesperson for the Afghan president told TV networks on Monday that Karzai does not want to turn hostage-taking into an industry. Analysts say the Afghan government seems to have drawn a line, especially after it was heavily criticised in the past for striking a deal with the Taliban. Pope Benedict XVI also criticised the Taliban saying the abduction of missionaries was a "grave violation of human dignity." Addressing a crowd at his summer residence near Rome, the pope appealed to the perpetrators to stop their actions and return the hostages unharmed. "Unfortunately the usual practice of exploiting innocent people for their own ends is spreading among armed groups," he said. "It is a grave violation of human dignity that clashes with every elementary norm of civility and rights and gravely offends divine law." Posted by: Fred 2007-08-02 |
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