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This isn't the first nor will it be the last time I group of Muslims will kidnap non-muslims and "publicly" force them to denounce America, Christianity and Israel. Some will die even after doing so. Others will be set free depending on how much pressure the captives feel.

I don't think it upped the ante as much as you do. In fact, in Gaza at least, I think it gave a bit more protection to journalists at least. It's rare indeed to get the Pali government (banana as it is) high-level clerics, leaders of Hammas and Hezbollah all together to publicly condemn any violent action against westerners, especially an American. In fact, this is the first case I can think of it.

There are thousands, if not millions of Muslims who believe the only reason they are on earth and will reach heaven and Allah is to convert, by force if needed, all the infidels they can. They were a threat prior to this kidnapping and will be a threat after.

In this case condemnation by islamic and muslim leaders was too vocal and public. They won't get much traction out of the conversion video simply because of that.

I guess time will tell. There was an interesting post (yeah, I know, it was from DEBKA, but I've found them to be right more often than not) about the participation of Palestinians other than the initial group of kidnappers in this, and how they decided that "conversion" to Islam would serve their purposes just fine. That along with some ransom money paid through the UK, of course.

I don't know. I'm sure their dream now is having Pres. Bush captive in the White House and forcing him to say he has "converted" to Islam. We believe in free will so we don't regard a forced "conversion" as a conversion. They believe that everybody is born Muslim and is actually "reverting" when they make their Islamic profession, so we are dealing with two different realities. The only thing that this makes clear, IMHO, is that it is a religious conflict - that is, the attempt by a cult to take over the world and impose their cultic beliefs - and we should take it seriously on that level.