Now contractor Nicholas Berg has been brutally executed by our enemy because he was an American and a Jew, and an opportunity for vast PR from a gullible and even compliant Western media. Mark Steyn sees an overwhelming parallel with the execution two years ago of journalist Daniel Pearl for the exact same reasons.
Back then, no media organization wanted to show Americans the death of Daniel Pearl, just as now they have no wish to show us the death of another victim of Islamofascism, or the brave final moments of an executed Italian hostage. The media are happy to show us Iraqi criminals on dog leashes night after night, because they shame Americans. To see the Berg or Pearl videos would anger Americans, and that doesn't suit the media's purposes. The Islamists have begun to figure this out.
Command Post has the photos and the video if you want to face the awful truth of this crime.
Australia's The Age runs an article with the headline, "Iraqis condemn beheading, blame US," which includes several anti-U.S. comments but also these quotes:
Muaid Louis Abdullah Ahhad, a Christian who owns a photo shop, denounced the execution and blamed followers of wanted al-Qaeda militant Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi for the beheading.Posted by Alan at May 12, 2004 08:40 AMZarqawi, who has a bounty of $US10 million ($A14.39 million) on his head, is accused by Washington of leading a network in Iraq that has carried out attacks against the US-led coalition and civilians aimed at fanning civil conflict.
The video of Berg's killing was entitled "Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi slaughtering an American", though it was not clear if he was involved.
"These people aren't Muslims. They are just using Islam as a cover and are harming the reputation of this religion," said a 50-year-old Shi'ite engineer for Iraqi Airways who also refused to give his name.
"I didn't know about it, but if he was an American, he was innocent. He came to Iraq on a mission to help Iraqis," said Ali Abu Nabi, a 29-year-old house painter.