Australia’s IslamicleaderSheikh Taj Aldin Alhilali says the deadline set by Douglas Wood’s kidnappers for Australia to withdraw its troops from Iraq has been extended to midnight tonight.
The original deadline passed at 5am (AEST) on Tuesday, with no word on the fate of the 63-year-old engineer, being held by a group calling itself the Shura Council of the Mujahedeen of Iraq.
SheikhAlhilali, told SBS radio in Arabic that he had been negotiating with Mr Wood’s kidnappers via the Islamic clergy, Iraqi media and other Iraqi people.
“There’s been an extension of that deadline until 12 o’clock midnight, today,” SBS Arabic radio journalist Majida Abboud-Saab, who interviewed the Sheik, told AAP.
However, the Sheik said he had not spoken directly to the kidnappers, although he hoped to later.Ms Abboud-Saab, the executive producer of SBS radio’s Arabic language program, said the Sheik believed Foreign Minister Alexander Downer was not helping Mr Wood with his broadcasts on Arabic television network al-Jazeera.”The interesting thing that he said was that it would be helpful if the foreign minister (Mr Downer) did not make comments to the media,” Ms Abboud-Saab said.”He said that he does have a message from the Australian government that has been conveyed (to the kidnappers), but not in quite the way Alexander Downer said yesterday (on al-Jazeera).”It appeared Mr Wood was still alive, she said.”He (the Sheik) said everything pointed to the fact that he’s (Mr Wood) safe and well and alive,” Ms Abboud-Saab told radio 2UE.
Australian Muslims ‘fear Wood backlash’
By Jane Bardon – The Agehttp://www.theage.com.au/news/Iraq/Australian-Muslims-fear-Wood-backlash/2005/05/11/1115585016398.htmlA major Islamic organisation in Australia has warned the captors of Douglas Wood in Iraq that harming him could damage the situation of Australian Muslims.
In a statement sent to Arabic media in the Mid dle East and broadcast in Arabic via its website, the Islamic Council of New South Wales appealed “in the name of God and humanity to release Mr Wood”.
The Islamic Council of Victoria is also appeal ing for Mr Wood’s release, saying harm to him would be “the worst case scenario for us”.
The New South Wales council said the Federal Government and the Australian people treated Australia’s Muslim com munity “fairly and respectfully”, and that Muslims had “full rights in practicing our religion”.
“The Islamic Council of NSW urges you to con sider that any harm which might befall Mr Wood will reflect badly on us here in Australia, as well as upon you and all the just causes for which you are pressing,” the statement says.
“For the sake of main taining good relations with the Australian people and safeguarding the warm relations between the Australian people and the Muslim community in Australia, we renew our urging and trust that you release Douglas Wood.”
The council said it was calling on Mr Wood’s captors’ “sense of Islamic morality and Arab chivalry” in releas ing the statement.
It emphasised that the Australian people “strongly sympathise with the people of Iraq and understand their predicament”.
The group argues that Mr Wood should be released “as a token of gratitude towards the great Austra lian people who have demonstrated against the war in their tens of thou sands, and still do so today in condemnation of the Western invasion of Iraq, as they call on the Australian government to withdraw its troops from the country”.
Islamic Council of NSW chairman Ali Roude said that while Australia’s most senior Islamic cleric Sheikh Taj Aldin Al Hilali was arriving in Iraq today, his organisation had been quietly making contact with people there behind the scenes.
He said the council has already received many responses to the statement, which had been sent to Arabic media in the Middle East and broadcast in Arabic via its website.
“We have had an enor mous response to that statement. I had a call from one listener who said our statement ‘would make the rock cry’,” Mr Roude told theage.com.au.
“It is important his captors know that Aus tralia’s Muslim commu nity is taking this matter very seriously. Our mak ing every effort for his release, may make an impact on them.”
Islamic Council of Victoria’sexecutive offi cer Rowan Gould said friends of Mr Wood’s family had appealed to the council for help.
He said the council had used its networks to make “discreet inquiries” to see what it could do for Mr Wood, but now placed its hopes with Sheikh Taj.
The council was initially surprised that the sheikh would take the step of travelling into Iraq, Mr Gould said.
“It is a very cour ageous and expensive step for Sheikh Taj, put ting his personal safety at risk to make his own appeal to Mr Wood’s captors,” he said.
“The Islamic Council of Victoria was opposed to the war and we have maintained that. But we are opposed to the harm ing of civilians on all sides and are totally against any taking of hostages.
“Mr Wood being harmed would be the worst case scenario for us, which is being shown by the way Sheikh Taj is putting his own case on the line.”
Statement: Islamic Council of NSW