Aus cleric pleads for hostage
2005-05-08 10:40
Canberra - Australia's most senior Muslim cleric has made a desperate plea on Arabic television for the life of an Australian engineer held hostage in Iraq, urging his captors not to punish him because of politics.
The appeal by Sheik Taj El Din Al Hilaly, Australia's mufti since 1989, was broadcast across the Middle East on Saturday and came after militants holding 63-year-old Douglas Wood issued a 72-hour ultimatum for Australia to start pulling troops out of Iraq.
The ultimatum was contained in new footage broadcast by Arabic television network al-Jazeera on Friday which showed Wood, an Australian resident of the United States, with his head shaven and rifles pointed at his head. The message follows an earlier videotape that announced his abduction that was released May 1.
Hilaly, with Woods' brothers Malcolm and Vernon seated beside him at a mosque in Sydney, video taped an appeal in Arabic which was beamed by satellite Saturday to Qatar-based al-Jazeera, family spokesman Neil Smail said on Sunday.
"I regard him as our brother, a fellow Australian, an innocent man," Hilaly said in Arabic.
"He should not suffer because of politics whether they be right or wrong," he added.
The televised plea was organized by Australia's peak Muslim representative group, the Australian Federation of the Islamic Councils, which has called for Muslims around the world to pray for Wood's safe and quick release.
'God's work'
The mufti has had a hostile relationship with Australia's centre-right government which has been a staunch ally in the US-led war on terror and contributed 2 000 troops to the Iraq invasion.
The government has accused Hilaly of describing the September 11 2001, attacks on the United States as "God's work" and of voicing support for Palestinian suicide bombers. Hilaly says his words were misinterpreted.
Defence Minister Robert Hill said Sunday that an Australian hostage task force in Iraq had no new information on Wood since his captors released the latest footage. There had been no ransom demand, he said.
"A whole range of tribunal, religious leaders, political leaders are on the task and have been very helpful and constructive," Hill told Australian Broadcasting Corp television. "But it really depends on who has kidnapped him, what their motivation is."
Malcolm Wood issued a second statement on behalf of the family Saturday appealing to the captors to think of their hostage as a brother, father and husband and to release him unharmed.
"The family is shocked and horrified to hear of this ultimatum from Douglas's captors," the statement said.
- AP