November 16, 2004

  • Ms. Hassan

    For those who actually have the courage to pray, please say a prayer for the family and friends of Ms. Hassan, whom many fear has been killed by her captors. It is a bitter feeling to not be appreciated for hard work. I’m sure it’s even more bitter to have a loved one die at the hands of people who did not appreciate her life. My prayers for all the innocent Iraqi citizens who have been executed by people who are so blinded by hate of “infidels” that they cannot differentiate between friend and foe.


    Family Heartbreak Over Hassan Fate

    Looking gaunt, her Iraqi husband, Tahseen Ali Hassan, said, “I have been told that there is a video of Margaret which appears to show her murdered. The video may be genuine but I do not know. I beg those people who took Margaret to tell me what they have done with her.”

    Hassan’s wife was kidnapped on October 19 by a group that did not identify itself. Videotapes surfaced Tuesday purportedly showing her killing.

    Arab network Al-Jazeera reported, “Al-Jazeera has obtained a video showing a masked militant shooting a blindfolded woman, who was referred to as Margaret Hassan, in the head using a handgun. Al-Jazeera decided to wait on reporting the news until it confirmed the authenticity of the tape.”

    Al-Jazeera did not show the video.

    CARE, for whom Hassan had worked for more than 12 years, issued a written statement through a spokesman.

    “It is with profound sadness that we have learnt of the existence of a video in which it appears that our colleague Margaret Hassan has been killed. We are shocked and appalled that this has been the apparent oucome of her abduction.”

    Hassan, who was in her 60s, held dual British and Iraqi citizenships.

    British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said, “Our experts have been examining a video which appeared to show that Margaret Hassan has been murdered, to establish whether it is genuine.

    “As a result of our analysis, we have today had to inform Margaret Hassan’s family that, sadly, we now believe that she has probably been murdered, although we cannot conclude this with complete certainty.”

    His written statement continued, “I want to express my deepest sympathy and condolences to Margaret’s family. They have been through a month of the most terrible uncertainty and torment. To kidnap and kill anyone is inexcusable.

    But it is repugnant to commit such a crime against a woman who has spent most of her life working for the good of the people of Iraq.”

    Hassan was a highly respected humanitarian official in the Middle East. Shortly after her abduction, patients at a Baghdad hospital took to the streets to protest the kidnapping.

    They credited her with helping to rebuild the medical facility last year.

    Hassan’s family said Hassan had devoted her life to caring for the poor and vulnerable. They said in a written statement, in part:

    “Our hearts are broken. We have kept hoping for as long as we could, but we now have to accept that Margaret has probably gone and at last her suffering has ended.

    “For the past 30 years, Margaret worked tirelessly for the Iraqi people.

    “Margaret had only good will towards everyone. She had no prejudice against any creed. She dedicated her whole life to working for the poor and vulnerable, helping those who had no one else.”

    from http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/16/iraq.hassan/index.html

    Kidnappings like these have been happening for quite some time, even before the Iraq War. Not just in Iraq, but in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands.

    No one ever talked about it before, until it became a campaign issue.

    You know, “Vote for Kerry, so the terrorists won’t be so mad.” (And supposedly the Republicans were the ones with the “scare tactics.”) I didn’t need Kerry propaganda to be scared, since I actually know what goes on in other countries besides America.