Third Bangkok Expat Beheaded In Iraq

[george]

Brother Confirms British Hostage Is Dead

All of them Bangkok Expats:

Eugene "Jack" Armstrong, 52, and Jack Hensley, 48 - and now Kenneth Bigley, 62

BAGHDAD, Iraq - British hostage Kenneth Bigley, who pleaded tearfully last month for Prime Minister Tony Blair to meet his kidnappers' demands, was beheaded by his captors, his brother said Friday.

Blair condemned the killers as "barbaric" and said they must not be allowed to prevail over those trying to rebuild Iraq.

Bigley's brother, Philip, said the family received "absolute proof that Ken Bigley was executed by his captors.

"The family here in Liverpool believe that our government did everything it possibly could to secure the release of Ken in this impossible situation," he said.

But another brother, Paul, said Blair has "blood on his hands." He made the comment in a written statement to the Stop the War Coalition, a British group that opposes the conflict.

A witness who saw a videotape sent to Abu Dhabi TV said it showed six hooded, armed men standing behind the kneeling Bigley, 62.

One spoke in Arabic, saying they planned to carry out "the sentence of execution against this hostage" because the British government "did not meet our demand" to release Iraqi women detained by the U.S.-led command in Iraq.

Afterward, the speaker took a knife from his belt and severed Bigley's head as three others held him down, the witness said on condition of anonymity. The tape ended with the killer holding up the head.

"I feel desperately sorry for Kenneth Bigley and his family who have behaved with extraordinary dignity and courage," Blair said on national television in Britain.

"I feel utter revulsion at the people who did this. Not just at the barbaric nature of the killing, but the way, frankly, they played with the situation over the past few weeks, and I feel a strong a strong sense, as I hope others do, that the actions of these people, whether in Iraq or elsewhere, should not prevail over people like Ken Bigley, who after all only wanted to make Iraq and the world a better place," he said.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the British government exchanged messages with Bigley's captors to try win his release, adhering to its policy of agreeing to talk with the kidnappers but never paying a ransom or acceding to their demands.

"Four days ago, an individual approached the British Embassy in Baghdad presenting himself as a potential intermediary with the captives. It was very clearly in Mr. Bigley's interests to establish contacts," Straw said.

"Messages were exchanged with the hostage-takers in an attempt to dissuade them from carrying out their threat to kill Mr. Bigley, but at no stage did they abandon their demands relating to the release of women prisoners, even though they were fully aware there are no women prisoners in our custody in Iraq," he said.

Straw said Bigley's family had been informed of the messages.

Bigley's 86-year-old mother, Lil, who has been treated at a hospital emergency room several times during the crisis, was at the family home in Liverpool on Friday, with her sons Stan, 65, and Philip, 49.

"For those who have prayed for Ken and our family from all religious backgrounds, we thank you from the bottom of our heart," Philip Bigley said.

Abu Dhabi TV said it had the video showing Bigley's beheading but decided not to air it.

The U.S. military said it had not found Bigley's body.

Bigley was abducted Sept. 16 along with two Americans from their home in the upscale Mansour neighborhood by members of Tawhid and Jihad, Iraq's most feared terrorist group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The two Americans [all of them Bangkok expats] _ Eugene Armstrong, 52, and Jack Hensley, 48 _ were beheaded a few days later.

"It could be that the fate of Ken, Eugene and Jack was sealed from day one. We will never know," Phil Bigley said.

Two videos surfaced last month showing Bigley begging Blair to save his life by meeting his captors' demands.

Early Friday, American warplanes struck a building in rebel-held Fallujah where the U.S. command said leaders of al-Zarqawi's network were meeting. A doctor said the attack killed 13 people, including a groom on his wedding night, and wounded 17 others.

The U.S. command said "credible intelligence sources" reported terrorist leaders were meeting at the targeted house in Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad.

Kidnappers have abducted more than 150 people in Iraq this year. Most hostages have been freed, but at least 28 have been killed.

Some kidnapping groups seek political objectives such as the withdrawal of foreign forces or companies from Iraq to undermine the U.S.-backed interim government; others demand ransom.

The attack in Fallujah was among a dozen "precision strikes" launched since last month against al-Zarqawi's network. Besides claiming to have kidnapped and beheaded foreign hostages, the group is also believed to be behind mortar attacks, suicide bombings and shooting sprees that have killed scores in recent months.

The U.S. military said those strikes dealt a "significant blow" to al-Zarqawi's movement, killing several key figures, including chief lieutenant Mohammed al-Lubnani and spiritual adviser Abu Anas al-Shami.

Dr. Ahmed Saeed said his hospital received 13 dead, including the groom, and 17 wounded, including the bride. He said most of the injured were female relatives of the groom who were staying at the house after the wedding. Mohammed Jawad, who lives next door, said he had just moved into the central neighborhood to escape repeated shelling on Fallujah's outskirts. His brother and six nephews were killed in the strike.

"This attack shows that there is no safe place in Fallujah, and the Americans are not differentiating between civilians and armed men," Jawad said in tears, as he was treated for shrapnel wounds to his face and hand.

American and Iraqi authorities are trying to curb the growing insurgency in Baghdad and elsewhere so national elections can take place by Jan. 31. Some U.S. military officials have expressed doubt that balloting will be possible in all parts of the country.

Late Thursday, three rockets struck Baghdad's Sheraton Hotel crowded with foreign contractors and journalists, shattering windows and sparking small fires. There were no serious injuries.

Interior Ministry spokesman Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman said the rockets were fired from the back of a truck. A fourth blew up inside the vehicle, he said, and security guards responded with gunfire.

Earlier, a mortar shell exploded in the U.S.-controlled Green Zone across the Tigris River from the hotel compound. There was no report of damage or casualties.

Acting on a tip, Task Force Baghdad soldiers stopped a truck carrying more than 1,500 155-mm artillery rounds Thursday one of the largest seizures to date, U.S. command said. The driver and passengers were detained.

Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's administration has been talking with representatives from insurgency hotspots, including the radical Shiite stronghold Sadr City in the northeast of the capital.

An aide to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr offered Thursday to disarm his Mahdi Army militia in a move that could bring an end to weeks of fighting in Sadr City. The government cautiously welcomed the offer and suggested other militant groups also lay down their arms.

A spokesman for al-Sadr also offered to hand over medium and heavy weapons and cooperate with Iraqi security forces if the government will stop pursuing militia members and release the cleric's detained followers.

The offer by Ali Smeisem on Al-Arabiya television contained no explicit promise to disband the militia, as demanded by U.S. and Iraqi authorities. However, a senior security official, Qassim Dawoud, cautiously welcomed the proposal and urged other armed groups to lay down their arms.

Bigley was a widely travelled family man

LONDON (AP) - Kenneth Bigley, the British hostage beheaded in Iraq, was a widely travelled engineering contractor with a life tainted by tragedy who had hoped to retire within months.

The 62-year-old came from a close-knit family in northwestern England and had planned to join his Thai wife, Sombat, at their newly built home in Bangkok after finishing his contract at an American military base north of Baghdad.

Bigley, whose son from his first marriage died in a traffic accident 18 years ago, also was looking forward to the birth of his first grandchild, expected in February.

A native of Liverpool, Bigley worked abroad for much of his life, spending time in Australia, New Zealand and Spain. He later began a series of contracts throughout the Middle East where, according to his brother Philip, he developed an appreciation of Islamic culture and a deep fondness for the region and its people.

"It is the reason he was prepared to help in Baghdad where many others would be worried for their own safety," Philip Bigley said.

Bigley was abducted Sept. 16 along with two Americans from their home in Baghdad's upscale Mansour neighbourhood by members of Tawhid and Jihad, Iraq's most feared terrorist group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The group demanded the release of all female prisoners held by the coalition in Iraq.

The two Americans - Eugene Armstrong, 52, and Jack Hensley, 48 - were beheaded a few days later.

On Friday, Bigley's brother, Philip, said Kenneth was beheaded by his captors.

A witness who saw a videotape sent to Abu Dhabi TV said on condition of anonymity that it showed six hooded, armed men standing behind the kneeling Bigley, whom the witness recognized from two previous tapes released by the kidnappers in which he pleaded with British Prime Minister Tony Blair to save his life by meeting his captors' demands.

Blair expressed his "utter revulsion" for the killers and said such actions "in Iraq or elsewhere should not prevail."

Kenneth Bigley was the second of four sons born to shipyard worker Thomas and his Irish-born wife Elizabeth, now 86 and still living in Liverpool. Kenneth grew up close to the grounds of the city's Everton soccer club and was a huge fan all his life.

After completing his schooling and national service with the Scots Guards, Bigley married his first wife, Margaret, in 1967, and the couple moved to Victoria, Australia, where he worked as an engineer. It was there that they had their first son, Craig - now 33 and soon to be a father - before moving to New Zealand.

The Bigleys returned to northern England and bought two supermarkets, but a suspected thief threatened Margaret with a hammer. Shaken by the incident, the family moved south to Somerset and opened a pub.

In 1986, a truck knocked down their 17-year-old son Paul while he was cycling, putting him in a coma from which he never recovered.

In a statement Friday, Bigley's family said: "At least he will now be in the caring hands of his son Paul, who he loved dearly."

Determined to rebuild his life, Kenneth Bigley again left Britain and opened a pub in Spain. He worked there for two years before resuming his engineering career with jobs across the Middle East, including Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

He remained in close contact with his three brothers - Stan, Philip and Paul - and made regular trips back to Liverpool to visit his mother and watch Everton games with Craig.

Seven years ago, he married Sombat.

Bigley arrived in Iraq after the war ended and took up a job providing "base camp life support" at the American facility at Taji, near Baghdad. He was employed by Gulf Supplies and Construction Services, a United Arab Emirates-based company he had worked for since 1997.

-- AP 2004-10-09

[george]

ADMIN NOTE:

1. Political discussions not allowed in this thread, please go to http://www.bearpit.net

2. Please post with style here, this is the third Bangkok expat beheaded in Iraq.

Members breaking the Forum rules will be banned from this forum.

/Admin

[Boon Mee]

Anyone know where Bigley's wife, Sombat, was from in Thailand?

My deepest sympathy to her...

Boon Mee

[valleyman]

I would like to add my offer of deepest condolences to Sombat, and also Bigley's family, in this time of grief and mourning. We all share in their pain and suffering.

[rod_kalashnikov]

Brother Confirms British Hostage Is Dead

In war, there is always collateral damage. Non-combatants are killed simply because they're in the wrong place at the wrong time ... and often those killed are women and children.

Right or wrong, we accept the deaths of innocent civilians in war ... they're inevitable ... they're part of The Game ... but they're accidental.

The deliberate cowardly murders of Kenneth Bigley and others by radical Islamic lunatics were not the acts of a warrior, and as a warrior, I cannot accept them as collateral damage.

Those deaths must be avenged ... whatever it takes!

Do them in, Mr Bush ... all of them!

[Artisan]

My sincerest condolences go to the families and friends of Jack Armstrong, Jack Hensley and Ken Bigley. After reading the report this morning about the execution of Ken Bigley, I feel utter revulsion towards the depravity and evil that has caused the loss of their lives.

In these tragic circumstances, I apologise to everyone for the flippancy of my avatar. Perhaps the Forum Administrators can delete temporarily my avatar.

[kurgen]

Now his torment is over,may he rest in peace.

[MekhongKurt]

Being a close friend of Jack Armstrong and a passing acquaintance of Ken Bigley, as I was, I have followed this entire trafedy with close interest and attention.

In a weekly online column I write, as recently as Thursday I wrote with hope of the vast efforts being made in Ken's behalf, notably by the Libyan government. Just before uploading that column less than 12 hours ago, I added the initial report I had just received from the Al-Jazeera news agency I had just received. (For those interested in news from the Islamic world, Al-Jazeera is often the first to go global with breaking news. see http://english.aljazeera.net/HomePage, where you can subscribe to their news alerts. No, I have no connection with Al-Jazeera whatsoever, other than as a subscriber.)

This is a terrible state of affairs, in one sense especially for those of us who hang around Washington Square, where Jack and Ken were both reasonably well known. I gather that at least a few of the guys knew Jack Hensley, as well, as a visitor here, though I don't recall ever having met him. In the background of these 3 most recent unforgivable killings is the beheading of Paul Johnson in June, whose wife used to be a waitress at Washington Square's Bourbon Street Restaurant, where they met. Four guys is less than 4 months, all with connections to this tiny enclave in one way or another. What terrible irony.

Although I knew Ken only in passing -- you know, to clink glasses with, to ask "How did you like the Liverpool football game last night?" etc. -- I am still grieved by his death, especially the because of the absolute senselessness of it.

I'm trying to hang onto the belief that many Muslims are decent people. In the immediate wake of Jack Armstrong's murder, I got an e-mail from a guy identifying himself as an Indian national and a Muslim. He said he followed my column and had steered a number of his Muslim friends to it, as they all have friends and/or relatives in Bangkok or elsewhere in Thailand. He wrote that as soon as he heard the news and saw my original column about it, he got together with his buddies and they collectively decided one of them should write to convey condolences, not only to me, but through me to Jack's other friends and to his family. He went on to write that though he knew it was difficult for me to do so, he and his friends all hoped I and the rest of us could believe that not all Muslims are "murderous bastards" [his phrase], and that they all hoped that any security forces who closed in on any of those responsible would "shoot these brutal murderers, these traitors to Islam, where they stand, like the dogs they are." That's not an exact quote, but very nearly so; in my grief I failed to save the e-mail.

Rest in peace, Ken, Jack, and Jack. What else can I say.

Mekhong Kurt

[john b good]

I add my condolences to Ken's wife, family and friends.

I find it difficult to actually put into words what I am thinking right at this moment.

Clearly even though it is difficult and might right now seem an impossible task these people that behave in this way can never be allowed to achieve their political goals.

They must be one by one hunted down and destroyed as they would like to destroy those that do not share their fanatical beliefs.

[astral]

Sad news indeed.

Even sadder that Mrs Sombat Bigley, his Thai wife had to learn of it from reporters,

no one at government level, either Thai or British thought to let her know.

See Bangkok Post report.

[p1p]

I also add my deepest condolences.

The feeling of revulsion this leaves one with, is beyond the pale.

[NedKelly]

Makes me sick in the stomach to think of what these people are doing. The sadness and bitterness they are creating is always going to make things worse in the long run.

[capt_canada42]

My condolences to Kens Bigleys family and friends also to Jack Armstrong, and Jack Hensley family and friends.

[zapatero]

George, I hope this little thought isn't pushing your ban on politics too far -- it's just a heartfelt plea for a bit of Islamic introspection...

~~~~~~~~~

Where’s the Outrage?

Where’s the outrage? Hey, I would be comforted to hear even a bit of modest admonition; or even less, a little mild disapproval! Is all this violence, destruction, killing, and hatred; and are all these egregious and barbarous beheadings what moderate Muslims stand for or not? You wouldn’t have the answer from listening. The silence is deafening.

Now that the extremists have “hijacked their faith” (really?), (I realize the implication is not politically correct), for their own evil purposes, who is it that ends up being the apologists for Islam? Why, it’s the Christians and those of other faiths outside of Islam!

It is time for moderate Muslims to stand up and defend, salvage, and reclaim their own religion, and to speak out against its sullied misuse. It is the moderates who have to place pressure on the extremists. The extremists certainly won’t be moved by any pleas from the Christians, or from the other religions of the world either for that matter. If there is ever to be a “Reformation” of Islam, as there was with Christianity for its own excesses, it will have to come from within, it won’t come from without. Moderate Islam, the world is waiting to hear your voices! If you really decry what is going on, if you feel any shame or guilt, let the usurpers of your religion and the rest of the world hear from you! The rest of the world is listening. Quietly listening...

~~~zapatero

[Narakjang]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - British hostage Kenneth Bigley, who pleaded tearfully last month for Prime Minister Tony Blair to meet his kidnappers' demands, was beheaded by his captors, his brother said Friday.

"The family here in Liverpool believe that our government did everything it possibly could to secure the release of Ken in this impossible situation," he said.

But another brother, Paul, said Blair has "blood on his hands." He made the comment in a written statement to the Stop the War Coalition, a British group that opposes the conflict.

because the British government "did not meet our demand" to release Iraqi women detained by the U.S.-led command in Iraq.

For those who have prayed for Ken and our family from all religious backgrounds, we thank you from the bottom of our heart," Philip Bigley said.

Kenneth Bigley, the British hostage beheaded in Iraq, was a widely travelled engineering contractor with a life tainted by tragedy who had hoped to retire within months.

The 62-year-old came from a close-knit family in northwestern England and had planned to join his Thai wife, Sombat, at their newly built home in Bangkok after finishing his contract at an American military base north of Baghdad.

Bigley, whose son from his first marriage died in a traffic accident 18 years ago, also was looking forward to the birth of his first grandchild, expected in February.

"It is the reason he was prepared to help in Baghdad where many others would be worried for their own safety," Philip Bigley said.

Determined to rebuild his life, Kenneth Bigley again left Britain and opened a pub in Spain. He worked there for two years before resuming his engineering career with jobs across the Middle East, including Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

He remained in close contact with his three brothers - Stan, Philip and Paul - and made regular trips back to Liverpool to visit his mother and watch Everton games with Craig.

Seven years ago, he married Sombat.

Bigley arrived in Iraq after the war ended and took up a job providing "base camp life support" at the American facility at Taji, near Baghdad. He was employed by Gulf Supplies and Construction Services, a United Arab Emirates-based company he had worked for since 1997.

I appreciate to see someone post Kenneth Bigley, English hostage in Iraq topic in this forum, its not fair for him and his family. I do not understand why Blair did nothing . . . I am not sure my post will erased by Admin but its ok...Thanks ka.

[scorpihun]

Good riddance to Ken Bigley, a man who will be remembered for bleating on tv to another fool in the shape of Tony Blair.

Bigley knew the risks, but he wanted the big bucks for his gold digging Thai wife and frequent bar girls.

Tony Blair is the real enemy in all this, a sad old donkey that took a country to war over nothing. No weapons of mass destruction have been found, there was no 45 minute retaliation threat, yet this plonker has spent billions of our pounds showing the world what a big man he is.

Countless other families, apart from the Bigleys, are left bereaved over what can only be described as self indulgent folly. Our troops were sent there without proper equipment and guidance to fulfill our brave leaders misguided dream of world appreciation.

Now the plonker is considering sending more money and troops to Africa in a bid to rekindle his ever decreasing popularity.

As an expat you have the right to register a vote in a general election, use it wisely and remove the real killer of Ken Bigley.

[Sunburn]

I'm trying to hang onto the belief that many Muslims are decent people.

They are. These people aren't Muslim they are Terrorists.

My deepest sympathies to the wife and family of Ken Bigley, by the sound of it he really was 'one of us'.

Scorpihun - I don't know why your post hasn't been deleted by admin yet, but we don't need prats like you trying to score points off a tragedy thank you.

[bluebear]

Billy Connolly, I hope you are happy now that Ken Bigley has now died.

For those of you that dont know, the alledged comedian Billy said live on a British stage last week that he hoped "the kidnappers would just get on with and kill him" as he was bored with the story. He was booed by a couple of people in the audience but he told them to "###### off". I liked Billy but not now.

I hope he never works again for those comments.

[IamMaiC]

These people aren't Muslim they are Terrorists.

All Muslim's are to blame for what these extremists are doing, the animals that took this brit and the two americans already knew they would kill them the americans were killed after 5 days ken had more time suppossedly he was trying to escape I would also try to get away Only one man got away from his captors and that was an american man that was I believe captured way back in june

I hope they all rest is peace

[rod_kalashnikov]

It is time for moderate Muslims to stand up and defend, salvage, and reclaim their own religion, and to speak out against its sullied misuse.

In countries where radical Islamic fundamentalist loonies are the norm, young men are brainwashed by experts into believing that it is better to take the easy path to heaven by becoming a suicide bomber than it is to take the hard path to heaven by being a good Muslim for the next 20/30/40 years.

These gibbering idiots willingly embrace death, screaming "Allahu akbar", believing that their martyrdom will make them heroes in the next life, and knowing full well that their families will be financially rewarded in this life. They don't fear death itself ... they're so brainwashed that the only thing they fear is to die in disgrace in the eyes of Allah.

Moderate Muslims are losing the battle because the actions of loonies speak louder than the words of moderates ... and the stronger the loonies become, the greater the threat to both the Islamic and non-Islamic world becomes.

The leaders of moderate Islam already know the answer ... the only deterrent to the suicide bomber and the kidnapper/beheader is the certain knowledge that his entire family will be put to death in disgrace in the eyes of Allah as payback for his crimes.

The time has come for Muslim clerics to bite the bullet and convince everyday Muslims that they must accept however many such terrible revenge executions it takes to put an end to the lunacy as being neccessary to preserve the Islamic faith ... because the only alternative is the complete and utter extermination of Islam.

[IamMaiC]

because the only alternative is the complete and utter extermination of Islam.

So it might come down to this eventually have the seeds been planted now??

[bartender100]

AN SAS hit team was last night hunting down the barbaric killers of Ken Bigley.

The troops and America’s crack Delta Force were ordered: “Nail the bastards” after Ken, 62, was beheaded in Iraq.

They were closing in on the town of Latifiya, 22 miles south west of Baghdad, where Liverpool engineer Ken is thought to have been killed.

Intelligence officers at Britain’s GCHQ believe they have identified the area where butcher Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is holed up.

If they find them,they are toast.

[rod_kalashnikov]

I'm trying to hang onto the belief that many Muslims are decent people.

Hang on to it ... most Muslims I've ever met have been decent people!

Unfortunately the only real deterrent to the acts of radical Islamics insults the basic faith of every Muslim alive.

Through the weakness of its leaders and their unwillingness to stamp out fundamentalist lunacy, Islam itself has become its own enemy.

[rod_kalashnikov]

Good riddance to Ken Bigley,

You should be tied over a log and ######ed to death!

[IamMaiC]

I'm trying to hang onto the belief that many Muslims are decent people.

Hang on to it ... most Muslims I've ever met have been decent people!

Unfortunately the only real deterrent to the acts of radical Islamics insults the basic faith of every Muslim alive.

Through the weakness of its leaders and their unwillingness to stamp out fundamentalist lunacy, Islam itself has become its own enemy.

Muslims are a kind people I have a family living in my neighborhood in the states They are friendly to me They are worried about the americans that will not be nce to them some point down the road so to speak but the father said he has had no problems as of now.

he wishes his brother muslims would stop this madness he also told me "what can one person do" Talking about himself which is the wrong attitude in my opinion

but aside from the animals in their race Muslims are very nice

[IamMaiC]

AN SAS hit team was last night hunting down the barbaric killers of Ken Bigley.

The troops and America’s crack Delta Force were ordered: “Nail the bastards” after Ken, 62, was beheaded in Iraq.

They were closing in on the town of Latifiya, 22 miles south west of Baghdad, where Liverpool engineer Ken is thought to have been killed.

Intelligence officers at Britain’s GCHQ believe they have identified the area where butcher Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is holed up.

If they find them,they are toast.

Is this true??

[rod_kalashnikov]

because the only alternative is the complete and utter extermination of Islam.

So it might come down to this eventually have the seeds been planted now??

The three most powerful (militarily) nations in the world ... Russia, China, and the USA ... are basically non-Islamic, if not actually anti-Islam.

The most powerful (militarily) nation in the world ... the USA ... has demonstrated time and time again that it has no conscience and is determined to win at all costs.

Make no mistake ... if push comes to shove and Islam looks like winning, America will nuke the entire Middle East (and probably Malaysia and Indonesia) into panes of glass ... and Russia and China will send cheerleaders.

[IamMaiC]

because the only alternative is the complete and utter extermination of Islam.

So it might come down to this eventually have the seeds been planted now??

The three most powerful (militarily) nations in the world ... Russia, China, and the USA ... are basically non-Islamic, if not actually anti-Islam.

The most powerful (militarily) nation in the world ... the USA ... has demonstrated time and time again that it has no conscience and is determined to win at all costs.

Make no mistake ... if push comes to shove and Islam looks like winning, America will nuke the entire Middle East (and probably Malaysia and Indonesia) into panes of glass ... and Russia and China will send cheerleaders.

I believe Afghanistan and Iraq are not the only countries the US are going to invade Possibility of Iran next if of course they do have nukes.

[Insight]

Good riddance to Ken Bigley,

You should be tied over a log and ######ed to death!

With a pipebomb.

[rod_kalashnikov]

but aside from the animals in their race Muslims are very nice

A medical tech at one of the mobile blood banks told me the first four people in line to give blood after the WTC attacks were a Muslim man and wife and two teenaged sons.

One of the saddest film clips I saw of the WTC attacks showed a weeping traditionally-garbed Muslim woman holding a photograph of a bearded young man and asking rescuers and passers-by, "Have you seen my son ? Has anyone seen my son ?"