Be sure to say a prayer of thanksgiving.
Fox News reporters Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig were released last night by their Palestinian kidnappers. But before their release, Centanni and Wiig were forced to "convert" to Islam, and videos were made of their conversion statements. Interestingly, there is a Muslim tradition called taqiyya that allows Muslim believers to conceal their true faith when under threat, persecution, or compulsion. It would seem that Centanni and Wiig used their own form of "taqiyya" when making these completely unconvincing confessions of Islamic faith.
The "no harm -- no foul" aspect of their kidnapping and release is somewhat disturbing. The Debka File notes:
Shortly after Centanni and Wiig were snatched by masked gunmen in Gaza on Aug. 14, the various intelligence agencies operating in Gaza knew who the kidnapper was: the Palestinian warlord Zakaria Dughmush, who had been hired by the same Hamas group which on June 25 kidnapped and - is still holding - the Israeli soldier Gilead Shalit.
Will the kidnappings continue? They are an effective tool of disruption and intimidation and they make instant celebrities of the kidnappers. And it seems that the kidnappers won't even get a slap on the wrist by any Palestinian officials.
Or perhaps these kidnappings are a weird evangelism campaign by Islamic fundamentalists. Perhaps these men believe that if they "convert" key people in the Western media, then Allah will be able to use the Western media as a conduit to win a spiritual victory over the forces of Satan that presently control the West.
As usual, Michelle Malkin has the mother of all blog roundups on this story.
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