And sometimes it’s just for the money
You get your ideological beheadings, and then you get your cash beheadings. A Canadian man who was beheaded yesterday represents a failed transaction.
The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned the beheading of a Canadian hostage kidnapped by Islamist militants in the Philippines.
John Ridsdel, 68, was taken from a tourist resort with three others by the Abu Sayyaf group in September 2015.
In November, the Islamist militants released a video showing Mr Ridsdel and three other captives, and demanded a ransom of $80m (£55m).
Now, ideology gets a look-in too, since it was Islamists demanding the cash to buy back John Ridsdel, but it’s still a matter of no-pay no-return.
A Philippines army spokesman said Mr Ridsdel’s severed head was found on the remote island of Jolo, hours after the Abu Sayyaf ransom deadline expired.
They have to pay for the guns and machetes somehow.
In related, there was a thing on this yesterday–think it was on CBC radio–in which an I thought reasonably plausible description was given of the group involved as really more an organized crime type deal, more than conventional Islamists. Group of formerly more dominant families who lost power in a recent regime change, and who really only adopted the ‘Islamist’ thing as a bit of excuse/PR cover…
Listening to this, I reflected that I hardly saw this is much of a distinction, insofar as I generally figure Islamism–if not a lot of religiously branded movements–if not most religion overall, for that matter–for a convenient insistence there’s a deity also endorsing your cause. It’s not just about what _we_ want, it’s what an all-powerful, ultimate authority requires us to pursue, see. How thin is the pretext hardly varies between cases; they’re _all_ pretty sad; it’s more a matter of how accustomed we are already to seeing this variant.
(Besides, either way, you’re just as beheaded.)
Yes, I have often wondered how many “Islamists” are really just criminals who join Islamist groups for convenience and logistical support.
criminals and warlord wannabes, using religion to give it a kind of respectability.
Yes, I have often wondered how many “Islamists” are really just criminals who join Islamist groups for convenience and logistical support.
Islam operates much like a criminal protection racket. Throughout history it has always extorted money from non-Muslims in exchange for not killing them.
Jizya, ‘prevent’ money, and Philippines kidnappings; it’s all the same game.
In the mass of reporting after Daniel Pearl’s murder, there was a mention that the group that killed him had BOUGHT HIM form his original kidnappers. The first wanted money, the second wanted a high-profile victim for jihad-porn.