Mystery Surrounding French Journalists'
Hostage Crisis
Michel
Chossudovsky | September 1 2004
The Western media has focused its attention
on the Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI), which has claimed responsibility for
the hostage of two French journalists.
Barely two weeks ago, the same group claimed responsibility
for the kidnapping and execution of Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni. And
in July, the IAI took hostage and executed two Pakistanis, a driver and
a maintenance worker who were working in Iraq for a Kuwait company. Also
in July, a group, calling itself "Khalid Bin-al-Walid Brigade"
linked to the IAI, threatened to kill a Filipino hostage if the Manila government
did not pull out its troops from Iraq in 72 hours. (BBC, 8 July 2004).
On 28 August, The Al-Jazeera TV network broadcast a video
of the two journalists and an audio of the IAI ultimatum. The various IAI
videos released by Al Jazeera exhibit the same insignia: a map of Iraq,
with a kalachnikov and the name of the IAI written in red.
France has no troops in Iraq. The IAI has demanded that
France renege on its ban of the Muslim headscarf in French public schools,
which is to take effect on September 2nd. This demand, however, is totally
unrelated to the Iraqi context and the IAI previous demands, which have
consistently focused on troops withdrawals.
In this case, the kidnapping of the two journalists has
galvanized French public opinion (indirectly) in support the US led "war
on terrorism." It has also served to discredit the Iraqi resistance
movement while upholding the shaky legitimacy of the US sponsored "provisional
government".
In other words, it has contributed to weakening the legitimacy
of France's anti-war stance to the benefit of Washington.
No doubt, it will also contribute to increased ethnic hatred
directed against France's Muslim minority, which represents 8.5 percent
of France's population.
The IAI has no history, no links. It is said to be composed
of Iraqi Sunni Wahhabi fundamentalists. According to Al Jazeera in relation
to the kidnapping of the Pakistanis (26 July 2004, quoted by BBC Monitoring
,31 July 2004):
"[The] Iraqi group calling itself the Islamic Army
in Iraq has said that it abducted three persons, two Pakistanis and one
Iraqi, working for a Kuwaiti company... The statement says that investigations
were carried out with the Pakistanis, and that death sentences were issued
against them." The statement "warned the Kuwaiti Al-Tamimi Company
that the fate of its employees will be like that of the two Pakistanis unless
it halts its activities in Iraq. "
In a subsequent report on the same kidnapping, Al-Jazeera
reported on 28 July that
"the Islamic Army has announced that it executed two
Pakistani hostages whom it kidnapped". The channel said the group "distributed
a videotape in which it showed the bodies of the two hostages after killing
them" but that Al-Jazeera "chose not to show the pictures of the
bodies of the two dead people out of consideration for the feelings of the
viewers".
On 26 July Al-Arabiya "reported that an armed group
holding seven foreign hostages in Iraq had extended its deadline. The channel
showed a masked man reading a statement saying that:
"the supreme command of the Clandestine Islamic
Army decided the following: First, extending the deadline to complete negotiations
with the competent parties; second, stressing the termination of the Kuwaiti
company's dealings with the occupier; third, warning the Indian Government
against the irresponsible onslaught on mujahidin in protection of its nationals.
May God grant us guidance."
Below, we present to our readers the provocative viewpoint
of Algerian journalist Tayeb Belghiche on the French Hostage Crisis and
its implications.
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