Two Islamic militant groups, Hezbollah and Hamas, issued strongly worded condemnations Thursday of the videotaped beheading of an American civilian in Iraq. Arab governments and Islamic militant groups, most of which have spoken out repeatedly about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, initially kept silent about the videotaped slaying. On Thursday, however, Lebanon's Hezbollah and the militant Palestinian group Hamas, both labeled terrorist organizations by the United States, said the beheading was appalling and un-Islamic.
| Wasn't there a statement by an Islamic Jihad guy the other day, made with the head of dead Israeli soldier sitting on his desk? |
In a statement faxed to The Associated Press, Hezbollah called the 26-year-old Berg's killing an "extremely brutal and cruel" act. "Hezbollah condemns this grisly act which has caused great harm to Islam and to Muslims by this group which falsely claims to belong to the religion of mercy, compassion and genuine human values," the statement said. "By its suspicious actions and links, this group belongs to the Pentagon school — the school of killings, occupation, crime, torture and immoral practices as exposed by the big scandal in the occupation prisons."
Osama Hamdan, Hamas' representative in Lebanon, denounced both Berg's killers and President Bush. "I condemn this brutal act and sympathize with the family of the slain American man, who I consider a victim of the wrong U.S. policies in the region," Hamdan told The Associated Press. "U.S. President George Bush and (Berg's) killers are equally responsible." Both Hezbollah and Hamas said the beheading hurt Arab causes, and predicted the United States would use it to turn attention away from the prisoner abuse scandal.
| The contrast is rather remarkable, isn't it? The prison abuses weren't policy, the perps are lining up for their court martials, we're embarrassed and we're cleaning up. Berg's head was cut off by the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq and they're proud of it. |
Both groups have condemned the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, and Hezbollah has denounced a few other major terrorist attacks that targeted civilians, but the language they used Thursday was unusually tough. The other Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, declined to comment on the beheading. The group's Lebanese representative, Abu Imad Rifai, said he couldn't be sure Berg was dead. "I cannot comment on the report because I am not sure of its authenticity. I didn't see the man's body," Rifai told AP.
| "I mean, I only saw his head, hanging from some guy's hand..." |
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