Officially, the taking of hostages is forbidden in Islam. A stance reiterated today by the Ithna’ashari scholars in Iraq. So that means the kidnappers are either Sunni or are acting out of an interest other than Islam. I don’t believe they are Sunni at this point – are at least are not acting under that identity – as it would disenfranchise the community. These are pseudo-nationalists, and the behavior is not intrinsic to Muslims. Just a clarification for those who were wondering if hostage taking was tenet of faith.
Related Posts
My #torture statement at ACLU blog
Find it here.
God Rest Their Souls
May God rest the souls of the victims of the subway attacks in Spain. We condemn this terrorist attack, regardless of who is responsible. Terrorism does nothing but perpetuate a cycle of violence and costs innocent lives.
Who Cries for the Beloved of the Beloved of God?
I’ve been sitting on this poem for a while, wondering if I should share or not. It’s not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but I finally decided that’s the point of a blog, to share quickly and easily. It doesn’t necessarily have to be great.