Fida’ strikes again and again and again
July 20, 2010Ah, listen to the honeyed words of the Holy Qur’an, Sura 47, Verse 4 (here in English with a little Arabic intro for flavor).*
Just another quaint verse of yesteryear? No, this verse is still being used by jihadists to justify abductions and fida’ around the world as shown by news items over the last couple days alone:
- Muslim pirates in East Africa net $80 million in ransoms annually
- A Chinese man held for 10 million peso ransom by Abu Sayyaf has been released after a firefight
- A Filipino Christian who is the son of a government official is being held for ransom
- Nigeria is experiencing a “ransom epidemic.” (Warning: this article is intentionally cryptic about who is responsible, giving vague attributions to “militant gangs”)
- Yemeni kidnappings of European tourists are ongoing
- A Japanese man has been abducted by Abu Sayyaf
Ransomings are a twofer for them—satisfying the dictates of the Koran and filling the coffers of the terrorists. (See also related posts here, here, here and here.)
* English recitation by Aslam Azhar of the Pickthall Koran.
[...] Qaeda in Yemen (AQAP) is demanding $12 million in fida’ (Koran-based Islamic ransom) for three French aid workers that they abducted in May. Their [...]