Posted on 09/25/2004 6:37:01 PM PDT by Lori675
THE elderly mother of British hostage Kenneth Bigley was last night admitted to hospital for the second time after a website claimed her son had been executed by the al-Zarqawi terror group in Iraq.
As her family’s kidnap ordeal moved into its 11th day, paramedics rushed to 86-year-old Lil Bigley’s Liverpool home, while the Foreign Office said the claim of the killing should not be taken "seriously".
The pensioner made an emotional appeal to her son’s kidnappers to release him unharmed last week, prompting her first admission to hospital after the strain became too much.
But yesterday proved to be yet another day of agony for the Bigley family even though the Foreign Office rubbished the website report.
A message was posted on the website carrying a statement saying the al-Qaeda-linked al-Zarqawi group had killed the 62-year-old engineer who was abducted along with two Americans from his Baghdad apartment 10 days ago.
The Foreign Office immediately described it as "discredited" because it had previously wrongly reported the murders of other western hostages.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the site called alezah which is running that story, but it is a discredited website. We don’t think it is to be taken seriously at this point."
The developments came as a high-level delegation of British Muslims flew into Kuwait in a last-ditch attempt to free Bigley from the clutches of the al-Zarqawi group, which has already beheaded the two Americans after its deadlines for the release of two female prisoners from American custody in Iraq had not been met.
Dr Daud Abdullah and Dr Musharraf Hussain, from the Muslim Council of Britain, were set to be flown swiftly on to Iraq by military aircraft from Mubarak Air Base in Kuwait, after touching down at nearby Kuwait International Airport.
Once in Baghdad, they are expected to meet with Iraqi religious leaders to use their influence to negotiate Bigley’s release.
Back in Liverpool, the Bigley family - whose heartfelt televised pleas for Prime Minister Tony Blair to intervene personally in the case dominated news schedules last week - were visited by Terry Waite, the former Beirut hostage.
Waite, who endured years of captivity at the hands of Islamic terrorists, is understood to be paying a private visit to the family to show his support. He was greeted on the doorstep by Bigley’s brothers, Stanley and Philip, before going inside to meet their mother. She became ill later in the afternoon and an ambulance was called.
Meanwhile, Bigley’s third brother, Paul, announced he would be taking the family’s campaign directly to the Prime Minister by appearing at a Labour party conference fringe event in Brighton tonight. He has accused the US of "sabotaging" his brother’s release after they said Dr Rihab Rashid Taha, a scientist known as Dr Germ, would not be freed from US custody despite an earlier announcement to the contrary by the Iraqi authorities.
He has also criticised Blair for "only going through the diplomatic instruction book" in his efforts to free his brother.
Yesterday, when arriving in Brighton, Blair said: "We have been in touch with the Bigley family and I think everyone is amazed at how dignified they have been over the last few days. We will continue to do whatever we can.
"If you will forgive me, I don’t think there is much more I can or should say at the moment."
The two Muslim leaders, Abdullah and Hussain, are both fluent Arabic speakers, scholars and well-respected leaders in the British Muslim community.
It is understood they are confident of securing a meeting with prominent religious leaders in Baghdad, including the heads of the influential High Association of Muslim Scholars.
Abdullah said yesterday: "We believe we are well placed, perhaps better placed than others, to convey our concerns and the concerns and the grief of the family and their wishes for his release. We are going to contact some scholars, Muslim leaders in the community there, and we will discuss with them the best way of approaching this matter."
He added: "We are hopeful that Mr Bigley is alive and that we will be able to exert some influence with those who hold him hostage.
"This is a humanitarian effort on our part. We have been seriously touched by the events and by the suffering and grief of the family, as well as by the whole British people."
The Muslim Association of Britain, an affiliate of the MCB, has also appeared on Arabic television station al-Jazeera to make a direct appeal to the kidnappers for Bigley’s release.
Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the MCB, said: "The MCB condemns utterly and unconditionally the taking of a hostage’s life. We feel we had to do something, as this kind of evil act cannot be carried out in the name of Islam."
I can't even imagine what this mom is going through. Prayers for her, her son and the family.
That poor woman, what a nightmare.
God help her. What a horrible thing to have to face.
>>Prayers for her, her son and the family.<<
Amen and AMEN!
I've tried to put myself in her shoes but the thought is so unspeakable that I can't bring myself to do it.
A psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Amen
< ...I think they are playing with people and making their announcement via a grainy video all the more agonizing... >
Which begs the question: Why are the videos so grainy? With absolutely no experience, anyone can point a video camera and make a darn good video. What's up with the poor camera work?
Perhaps since they behave as savages from centuries ago, they just really can't handle "modern" technology.
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