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| Atrocity of the Day |
| Three US Doctors Shot Dead In Yemen |
| 2002-12-30 |
| Source: Reuters A Yemeni has shot dead three American doctors and wounded a fourth U.S. national at a missionary hospital in the south of the country. Sources at the U.S. embassy in Sanaa on Monday confirmed the victims were U.S. citizens and said they were working at the Jibla Baptist hospital in Ebb province, some 105 miles south of the capital. The Yemeni official described the gunman as an Islamist militant. After he was arrested he told police that he had shot the two men and two women to "cleanse his religion and get closer to Allah". Yemeni security sources linked the so far unidentified man to a member of an Islamist opposition party who had killed a prominent opposition official earlier this week. Both men were trained in Afghanistan, the sources said. Afghanistan: the gift that keeps on giving. FOLLOWUP: The murdered were the administrator of the hospital William E. Koehn , 60, Obstetrician Dr. Martha C. Myers, 57, and storage department manager, Kathleen A. Gariety, 53. The doctor worked for several years in serving humanitarian needs in the country a source of the US embassy disclosed to Yemen Times. They have been serving Yemen for twenty years, and were about to leave after a transition of administration a source close to the Baptist Maaden Hospital in Jibla said. The incident looked as if it was pre-planned as the attacker knew who to target and knew they were Americans. Sources at the hospital said that he may have also knew that there would be a meeting at that particular time to discuss the transition of the administration of the humanitarian services in the hospital to a Yemeni NGO or a British association. "I doubt that the Brits will consider running the hospital after what happened," a source close to the hospital said. So the Baptists have been running a missionary hospital for 20 years, helping the locals out of the goodness of their hearts and for the Glory of God. And this ingrate decides to pop a few infidels. And make sure one of 'em's an obstetrician, because there are entirely too many Yemeni women who're surviving childbirth now. As I've pointed out on a number of occasions, there doesn't appear to be a word for "gratitude" in Arabic. MORE FOLLOWUP: The suspected attacker, a Yemeni, was arrested, and a Yemeni official said security forces were searching for a militant cell that may be targeting foreigners and secular figures in the country. The gunman entered the complex of Jibla Baptist Hospital in the town of Jibla hiding a semiautomatic rifle under his jacket to make it resemble a child, officials and the missionary organization said. He slipped past a security check where visitors are supposed to leave their weapons. It being Yemen, his gun was his baby... The killings are ``a crime unacceptable in any religion. This contradicts Islam,'' said a Jibla woman who gave only her first name, Fatima, and said she used the hospital. ``They cared for us and looked after us. I can't even count the number of children they treated and saved.'' So now she'll have to watch her back... Jack Graham, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, called the three victims ``martyrs'' who were ``killed in the line of duty.'' Speaking from Plano, Texas, Graham said that aside from providing humanitarian aid, the missionaries were ``there because they're Christians and they have no doubt been sharing their faith.'' That's the Christian definition of a martyr: someone who's killed for his faith. The Islamist definition is a bit different, covering people who get bumped off in the course of perpetrating unspeakable crimes... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #10 I understand that the mission and hospital have been there for over 30 years, not 20. The Administrator was there for 28 years. Considering all the things Yemen have been through (even before 9/11)this is a remarkable achievement and mission. To last 30+ years in a place like Yemen tells me that these souls were doing a pretty darn good job of helping people and saving lives. I doubt they were doing to much proselytizing but that is always part of the deal. Anyway, may God have peace on their souls. |
| Posted by: Jack 2002-12-31 06:35:37 |
| #9 Plano, Texas? Shouldn't they have somebody named Morgan in Plano?... |
| Posted by: mojo 2002-12-30 14:08:22 |
| #8 Ok, I stand corrected. Thanks for the background info and excellent points made by fellow Rantburg readers. |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2002-12-30 12:26:58 |
| #7 Scooter: I second the remarks by Kerry and Fred, especially Fred. These people are not your typical "talk the talk, but don't walk the walk" bleeding heart liberals. They put shoeleather on their convictions, and are supported by people like me, who put their own dollars, in the form of donations, where their convictions are. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2002-12-30 12:03:38 |
| #6 i dont' think the Rosa Luxemburg foundation sponsors hospitals in poor countries |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2002-12-30 11:52:41 |
| #5 Scooter, Missionary work, with this sort of thing as an occupational hazard, has been going on for hundreds of years. The missionaries in a pot, surrounded by banana-leaf clad natives used to be a cartoon cliche. All the missionaries I've ever met have been wonderful people, including Baptists, Mormons, Evangelicals and Free Methodists. It takes an inate goodness of heart to be a missionary, and this incident more acutely highlights the difference between them and the Evil they were trying to influence while helping the innocent. The Kumbaya set seldom becomes missionaries. Their focus isn't on the innocents and the downtrodden, but on themselves. They're more likely to be found "organizing" the natives, or attending conferences where the can draft manifestos telling other people what they should be doing. |
| Posted by: Fred 2002-12-30 11:49:50 |
| #4 Scooter McGruder voices an understandable concern that implies these missionaries are wasted in Yemen. I think he is wrong to think they were motivated primarily by being 'wanted or appreciated' for their work among the poor. I have personal knowlege of the good work this hospital has done for many years serving the people of Yemen. Let me assure you that these medical missionaries were in no doubt about the possible dangers they faced. Yet, they did what they believed God called them to do. To them, this is just the kind of thing Jesus told them to expect. These are just a few of the more than 100,000 people worldwide who die because they happen to identify themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. |
| Posted by: Kerry 2002-12-30 11:40:40 |
| #3 This should embarrass the defenders of Senator Patty "the clueless appeaser' Murry. Yes, Senator, we've built roads, we've built schools, we've built hospitols; but the psychotic murderers hate us even more. I guess thats why we call them psychotic murderers. |
| Posted by: mhw 2002-12-30 10:41:03 |
| #2 I wonder when these bleeding-heart missionaries will realize that their charity isn't wanted or appreciated? When a nation decides they want things like food, medical care or freedom they can damn well do it themselves. Any other approach is just condescending, and stupid. Ugh, I just re-read this and it sound really harsh. But seriously, am I wrong? |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2002-12-30 09:59:52 |
| #1 Sure would be nice if they could pick up these whacko gunnies before they start capping the only doctors for 50 miles, huh? How about this: you guys take a look at the travel records, see who's been to Afghanistan in the last 4-5 years, then check the tax records for folks whose only means of support seems to be large rolls of Saudi Rials... |
| Posted by: mojo 2002-12-30 09:59:49 |