FOX Journalists Forced At Gunpoint To Convert To Islam

FOX News Website ^ | August 27, 2006 | FOX News

[TaxachusettsMan]

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Two FOX News journalists were released by their kidnappers Sunday, nearly two weeks after they were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.

Steve Centanni, 60, and Olaf Wiig, 36, left Gaza and have since crossed into Israel after their release. The men left Gaza through the Erez border crossing.

The freeing of Centanni, a correspondent, and Wiig, a cameraman, ends the longest-running drama involving foreign hostages in Gaza.

The two journalists were dropped off at Gaza City's Beach Hotel by Palestinian security officials and appeared to be in good health. A tearful Centanni embraced a Palestinian journalist briefly as he entered, then rushed upstairs as Wiig followed.

Centanni, in a phone interview shortly after his release, said "I'm fine. I'm just so happy to be free."

He recounted how he and Wiig were pulled out of their car on August 14 and taken at gunpoint into another car. The kidnappers blindfolded them and handcuffed their hands behind their backs with plastic ties. They were then transferred to another car and driven to a building that they later learned was a garage.

"We were pushed down onto the dirt-covered concrete floor and we were forced to lie face down with our handcuffs on," Centanni said.

"Olaf was in the same room with me. Our shoulders were wrenched back, very painful."

Both of the men were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint, Centanni said.

"We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint," Centanni told FOX News. "Don't get me wrong here. I have the highest respect for Islam, and I learned a lot of good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the hell was going on."

[Abd al-Rahiim]

"That sounds like scaremongering to some Islamic leaders, who note that less than 5 percent of Europe's population is Muslim." (Source).

That's some majority of believers.

Define "resist." If by resist you mean physically FIGHT the religion, then of course atheists won't do that. But, if by resist you mean protect the separation of Church and State, then you know atheists will be at the front lines.

I consider myself a secular humanist, but I won't deny that I am atheist. After all, I don't place my faith in any God.

I picked Abd al-Rahiim as a moniker for fun. I was reading The Qur'an then, and now I'm almost finished.

I'm curious as to why you say you'd respect me more if I were Muslim.

Your last paragraph contradicts your second. If we atheists won't resist Muslims, then how are we going to crap on them, assuming they "win"?

[Abd al-Rahiim]

Dictionary.com is my favorite online dictionary, especially when used with Firefox.

1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies. Islam satisfies this. Since religion is used in the definition, so does Christianity, Judaism, Baha'i, etc.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult. Muslims submit to God. Christians place their faith in the Son.
3. the object of such devotion. I guess this is used for cult of personality.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc. Sure, see my comments on definition two.
5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols. See comment two.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader. Some people here view Islam as such. Except, Muhammad has been dead for over a millenium now and there is no one leader.
7. the members of such a religion or sect. If you want to call it one...
8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific. No.

Under some definitions, Islam could be considered a cult. By the same token, so would Christianity.

[Abd al-Rahiim]

Are you defending what these terrorist have done in the name of Islam?

I love how you accuse me of condoning terrorism when nothing I wrote supports that.

1. My first comment related to your claim that Islam is not a religion. I presented a definition and attempted to demonstrate point by point how Islam fit [that definition].
2. My second comment related to your claim that Islam is a system of coercion. I used Sayyid Qutb as an example to demonstrate that there is no one view of Islam.

You also view Mr. Qutb as one of the founders of modern radical Islam; we don't have a problem there. It's questionable as to whether or not he 'most influenced' the leaders of al-Qaeda. Many other radicals disagreed with his views. He's one of the grandfathers, but he's not the only one.

Jihad is not Islamic Holy War. Defining it as such ignores the historical minor revisionist view of self struggle. However, even then, fighting is more accurate but not holy war.

Where have I lied? I showed that Islam fits a definition and used Mr. Qutb as an example to show that Islam is practiced differently by different people.

But, I'll give you the pleasure of confirming 'the next thing.' I have not said the Şehadet; I'm not Muslim.

Tell me where I said Islam is a religion of peace. I used Mr. Qutb as an example because he advocated fighting to ensure the survival of the message of Islam. Fighting ==|== Peace.

The definition is devotional and ritual. It's not or.

And the Christian view of Heaven by contrast is that much more austere? Really...

There is nothing in this so called paradise which is not available to the princes of Saudi Arabia, at the expense of their peons, all ready.

You know that in Paradise the idea is you don't die, right?

Muslims or The Qur'an? The former are people; the latter is a book.

[Abd al-Rahiim]

You are a firm believer in Christ as a personal savior. Thus, you view Islam as a false religion and use your beliefs as evidence. To me, that doesn't work because I can create a hypothetical religion whose ideas contradict that of Christianity (ie. this religion says Christianity is false).

Does that guarantee the truth of this religion? Of course not.

[AppyPappy]

If they have a gun to your head, it's not really converting.

[mom4kittys]

very well said

[mom4kittys]

Don't you think that would put a big fat target on every journalists head, particulary Fox and not to mention his family. Maybe he could live like Salmen Rushdie.

[mom4kittys]

A bullet would be easy, how about sawing off your head with a butter knife?

[mom4kittys]

That is not fair to make assumptions like that.

[mom4kittys]

I was surprised too. I always thought he had blonde hair, but yesterday's videos showed that he had white hair up close.

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Don't you think that would put a big fat target on every journalists head, particulary Fox and not to mention his family. Maybe he could live like Salmen Rushdie.

You're right. Don't print the pictures of mohammad either, that would endanger the artist and their families, and put a target on their heads. It might even cause riots and killings. Also don't profile at airports, trains, subways, or buses that's racist. Don't speak out against islam, that's a hate crime. We'll all be much safer if we just don't make any waves, that way, they won't have a reason to chop our heads off.

How brilliant you are to use Salmen Rushdie as your example. We can never do what he did, speak out against them. That idiot was just looking for trouble and he got it when he opened his big fat mouth.

I feel better now, you've convinced me that the safest route to take for our children and grandchildren is to do absolutely nothing. That way, no targets will ever be on their heads. They'll be controlled little dhimmies.

Do I really need the tag?

[mom4kittys]

They are civilians. Would you be willing to have a press conference knowing that these people know where you work, where your family lives etc...

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What the hell does that have to do with anything? Explain that one please?

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I'm talking civilian aspect.

[mom4kittys]

We have military to fight these wars, they are the experts.

[Invisible Gorilla]

If they have a gun to your head, it's not really converting.

Then what is the point of Christian martyrdom? Were the Christians who faced the Roman lions just stupid? Should they have crossed their fingers and denied Christ?

[hellinahandcart]

I would like to posit that the intent of the video "conversion" was not to actually claim the two hostages were truly converted to the ways of Islam. Rather, it was a show by the Islamofascists of how they can get the West to become subordinate to Allah by the point of a gun.

I posted much the same thing yesterday.

Tiny point of disagreement---I think they care more that we submit to Muslims than to Allah.

[AppyPappy]

I was unaware the Christians were given an option. If you renounced the faith and continued to live as a Christian, I doubt the Roman government would be fooled.

I would hazard a guess that Christians renounce Christ constantly with the behavior. That's a lot worse than doing it with your lips when a gun is pointed at your head.

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hahahahaha.Ok. Right. Civilian terrorist flying planes into civilian buildings. We'll let the military handle it. Might I also suggest that we completely outlaw civilian surveillance and phone taps, after all, they are civilians.

You peddle your appeasement crap to someone else's door. I'm done with you. Have a good day.

[mom4kittys]

I was talking about Steve and Olaf being the civilians, not the criminals who kidnapped them.