A Wake Up Call for Peaceniks
Written by Jim Kouri
Sunday, December 04, 2005

Throughout the world, antiwar activists are encouraging their followers to intensify their efforts to end the war in Iraq and the overall war on terrorism. Some activists have even traveled to Iraq just to say, “I was there,” in order to give their rhetoric more credibility.

Unfortunately for four Western peaceniks, their journey brought them face-to-face with the enemy Americans face in this war -- the Islamofascists. These four activists were abducted by a group of terrorists who apparently mean business: they say they will execute their hostages if their demands are not met.

The kidnappers have promised to kill the British, American and Canadian peace activists -- Norman Kemper, Tom Fox, James Looney, and Harmed Singh Sodden -- unless Iraqi and American authorities release all detainees held in Iraq. The terrorists also demand the immediate withdrawal of coalition troops from Iraq. These threats were part of a written statement that accompanied a new video of the four hostages for the Arabic television channel al-Jazeera.

The video recorded by the terrorists shows all four workers from the peace activist group, Christian Peacemakers, who were snatched in Baghdad last weekend. All looked terrified and exhausted but their words are inaudible on the tape.

In one clip, the Canadians are shown eating. In a another clip, Mr Kember and the American are shown talking to the camera without any sound emanating from the tape. The video is the second to be sent by the kidnappers to the Arab media. The terrorists
claim their group is the Swords of Righteousness Brigade.

Military officials in Iraq believe the four hostages were grabbed last weekend as they were departing from a Sunni mosque in al-Mansour, widely regarded as an Al-Qaeda stronghold in Iraq. It’s one of the strongholds of the group led by the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Their abandoned car was subsequently discovered in another area in which al-Zarqawi wields power. The Swords of Righteousness Brigade may be allies of the Jordanian terror master who continues to elude American military and intelligence.

American security experts say that the majority of kidnappings are perpetrated by these groups in order to obtain ransom money which funds their terror operations. There was a spike in abductions last year. Sadly, few British or American hostages have emerged alive from their captivity by extremist Sunni groups, as a result of the US and British governments’ refusal to negotiate with terrorists.

At first the the terrorists accused their hostages of being spies for Western intelligence agencies. Of course, the leaders of the Christian Peacemakers denied the charges, saying that the four were opponents of the war and were in Iraq on a peacemaking pilgrimage. They were also in Iraq to investigate accusations of human rights abuses against Iraqi prisoners.

Unfortunately, these peacemakers won’t be investigating abuses of Iraqi detainees, who are for the most part, terrorists, Saddam-loyalists and Sunni insurgents. They will, however, witness first hand the viciousness of America’s enemy in the war on terrorism. There may be the hope that this group of terrorists will set aside their bloodlust and realize these peaceniks are worth more to them as useful idiots alive and protesting the actions of the United States and Britain, than dead useless idiots.

About the Writer: Jim Kouri is the vice president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, and is a prolific writer for police and crime magazines. He has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, MTV, and Fox News, and his book, "Assume the Position," is currently available at Amazon.com and Booksamillion. To recieve his newsletter, write to JimKouriReports@aol.com, or visit his website at jimkouri.us.

Ellie