The Islamic Army of Iraq, which is holding two French journalists hostage, said that France is an "enemy of Muslims," in a statement on a website that gave no details on the fate of the captives. The statement, carried on http://iaminiraq.tripod.com, cited France with a list of "crimes" that France had allegedly carried out against several countries, notably Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt. "France has distinguished itself for its war against Islam and Muslims and has committed butchery against the nation," said the statement, whose authenticity could not be verified. "France's history with Muslims is a black one, blemished by hatred and malice and blood. Its modern history is no less so that in the past," the statement added, calling on the "Islamic nation to unite against its enemies," such as France. Journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, along with their Syrian driver, were kidnapped on August 20.
But the statement said "true professionals, be they journalists, doctors or others, who do not carry out any activity ... are not the target of the Islamic Army," the statement said. "We respect those who are on a genuine humanitarian mission ... and are not pursuing missionary or intelligence objectives." "The Islamic Army has an organism for sharia (Islamic law) to settle such matters by a fatwa (religious decree) in conformity with the Book (the Koran) and Sunna (Islamic tradition). The Islamic Army respects the ulemas (Muslim scholars) of the nation." The hostage-takers initially demanded that Paris rescind its ban on the wearing of Islamic headscarves and other "conspicuous" religious insignia in state schools, but the law went into effect on September 2 as planned. After an unprecedented wave of condemnations from the Arab and Muslim worlds, the group seemed set to release the men but for the past week there has been no news. |