Not in our name!

THERE is more bad news from Iraq front. A little known outfit, the self-styled ‘Islamic Army' has abducted Christian Chesnot of Radio France and Georges Malbrunot of Le Figaro demanding France revokes the ban on Islamic headscarf.

Published: Tue 31 Aug 2004, 9:24 AM

Last updated: Thu 2 Apr 2015, 1:12 AM

This is simply not acceptable and is a most unfortunate and alarming development in Iraq conflict. Those who are resorting to such unreasonable acts in the name of Islam and Muslims must realise that they are not serving the cause of Iraqis or Islam by such dubious tactics. Not in our name please! A just cause calls for just means. It is time those responsible realised that such acts will only bring bad name and disrepute to the Iraqis and their struggle. These despicable act, however noble the cause inspiring them, will eventually deprive the Iraqi people of international community's vital support.

It is all the more unfortunate when the media becomes the target of such desperate measures. Journalists are there in Iraq to report facts. They endanger their lives to report from a conflict zone like Iraq. They are there to report to the rest of the world what is going on in Iraq. It's most tragic, therefore, when these seekers of truth themselves become the target of this conflict. If media itself is compromised and victimised, who will report the injustices of this war? How will the world know what the truth is and who is the oppressor and who is the oppressed?

The fact of French journalists being targeted in Iraq is ironical, too. Because, France has been strongly opposed to this war in Iraq from the word go. It fought an all out battle against the US in the United Nations on the issue. Linking Iraq conflict to the scarf ban in France is therefore patently ludicrous, to say the least. However irrational the French government may have been in imposing the headscarf ban, this is no way of dealing with the complex issue and that too in far-flung Iraq.

It is good that the French Muslims and leaders in the Muslim world have promptly responded to the crisis condemning the act and appealing for reason on the part of abductors. We only hope the so-called Islamic Army quickly comes to its senses. The French journalists known for their objective reporting on Iraq and Middle East must be set free at the earliest. If they come to harm, it will be a most unfortunate setback for the Iraqis and the Muslim world.