You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Iraq-Jordan
French hostages plead for lives
2004-08-31
Posted by:Classical_Liberal

#12  It's a remake with little capital.
Posted by: Louis Metro Shipman   2004-08-31 6:04:40 PM  

#11  PRAYER?

Has anyone seen Chirac Go In?

I DON'T THINK SO.
Posted by: BigEd   2004-08-31 4:45:46 PM  

#10  I've just been reading the forum section of "Liberation", and I must say that only a few of the comments are wholly supportive of saying "Non!" to the kidnappers. A few wholly supportive of striking down the law, and the majority a combination of how-did-we-get-into-this, why-did-we-pass-that-law-in-thefirst-place. One, of course, said it was an Allawi plot.

Barnier wants an upswell of support in the Arab street to compel the kidnappers to give up the journos. The way: explain the law to Cairo, Jordan, and the Arab League. Let them know France's exceptionalisme. Bonne chance, mon vieux.
Posted by: chicago mike   2004-08-31 4:45:33 PM  

#9  Color me skeptical on the whole Red on Red aspect of this. I think this is a straight forward hostage taking with a ransom demand. The scarf issue is a smokescreen to make it easier for the French to pay the ransom unobtrusively. Both sides will get to walk away looking principled. Looks like there are a few reports that the hostages will be released soon.

I was hoping this might be some Iraqis with a perverse sense of humor and a taste for political theater. What could be more fun than getting French politicos literally on their knees to pray?
Posted by: Classical_Liberal   2004-08-31 4:39:42 PM  

#8  from Newsday:
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- The militant demand that a French ban on Islamic head scarves be overturned has raised an unprecedented backlash among religious and political leaders in the Middle East, who have often been silent about hostage slayings and other terrorism.

They say those holding two French journalists have desecrated Islam and mindlessly struck out at a country considered a friend to Arabs.


so the point here is that if muslims in foreign countries think there might be a backlash, they take a stand against islamic terror. there's a lesson here, though not a pretty one:

It seems that the ONLY way to motivate Muslims to speak out against Islamic terror is when the threat of attack exists in their newly adopted countries as a result of atrocities in distant lands.


I'm not advocating such a practice. I'm simply dismayed that this seems to be the ONLY way to get them to denounce Islamic terror.

what a culture. sheesh.
Posted by: PlanetDan   2004-08-31 3:40:58 PM  

#7  Plead for their lives? Why not just remind the jihadis that, like the rest of the West-hating media, they are brothers-in-arms?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-08-31 2:30:54 PM  

#6  The sweetest part is that those two guys are not truck-drivers, peasants or engineers. They are jouranalists: people who have sold their soul to the Parisian elites, those elites who dream of would domination and have brainwashed the French people into a racist antiamerican hate.

I was in Normandy a week ago (Omaha and Juno beaches) and after the Parisian histeria it was SO refreshing to learn of French people who funded from their own pockets a monument to the fallen of Omaha, to see streets displaying "Welcome to our liberators", shops having posters with "War veterans welcome" over the flags of THOSE who were welcome (Americans, British, Polish, Norvegians, Belgians and NO stinking german flag) this despite the unrelenting efforts of Chirac and of the chattering classes to make them love the Germans and hate the allies (even celebration of D-DAY has been a display of anti-american hate in 90% of the French media).

Now two members of those chattering classes after manipulating, lying and cheating to French people, after siding with islamo-fascism during the war of terror, after betraying the French values of "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" are now in hands of the Islamists. And perhaps will be killed by them...
Posted by: JFM   2004-08-31 1:09:06 PM  

#5  Have these guys tried converting? If all the Frogs would become Muslims, the problem would go away.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-08-31 9:12:43 AM  

#4  so true.
anymoose – nice summary.
Posted by: B   2004-08-31 9:00:25 AM  

#3  A-moose:

Interesting how quickly they've jumped to the final phase. I guess they thought they could be successsful. Wonder what gave them that idea?
Posted by: PlanetDan   2004-08-31 8:20:33 AM  

#2  It is the same formula. First you request acceptance. Then you seek the "right" to maintain your way of doing business in their culture. Then you insist that your hosts place their practices and laws on a par with yours. Then you assert that they must change their ways to suit yours. Then that they must abandon their ways in favor of yours. And finally, that they must utterly surrender to you in all ways, and that every characteristic of their old ways be destroyed.

Posted by: Anonymoose   2004-08-31 12:53:10 AM  

#1  If a tree falls in the forest and there is nobody around does it make a sound?

or so Chirac the Weasel can understand:

Si un arbre tombe dans la forêt et il n'y a personne autour de fait il fait un son ?

Posted by: BigEd   2004-08-31 12:39:27 AM  

00:00