Mujahedeen: 'Is Isa (Jesus) the son of God?' Militants probed kidnapped French journalist

World Net Daily ^ | August 15th, 2003 | LOUIS MEIXLER

[missyme]

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A French television journalist, freed after four days in captivity in Iraq, said he was repeatedly interrogated by captors who accused him of being an Israeli spy and made him prove his nationality by drawing a map of France.

Alex Jordanov appeared shaken during an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, smoking nervously and speaking slowly as he sat in a room in a well-guarded hotel where many journalists stay.

Jordanov, 40, was freed Wednesday and taken to the French Embassy, where he collapsed from exhaustion and spent his first hours as a free man staring blankly at a ceiling.

"When you are under high pressure 24/7 for four days, everything just ... comes tumbling down," said Jordanov. He appeared to be in good health, but had small red spots on his face and hands, which he said came from sleeping outside in the brush with frogs, bugs and "all sorts of animals I've never seen crawling all around."

Jordanov, who works for Capa Television in Paris, was kidnapped Sunday while videotaping an Iraqi insurgent attack on a U.S. military convoy between Baghdad and Karbala, a city to the south.

"We got caught in a mass, mass, mass battle between the Mujahedeen and the Marines," Jordanov said. Many of the insurgents call themselves mujahedeen, or holy warriors.

During the chaos, Jordanov was separated from his cameraman, Ivan Ceriex. While Jordanov ran for cover, a car pulled up to him, four men jumped out, grabbed him and put a knife to his throat.

"They were big, strong, bearded, weightlifter guys," Jordanov said. Ceriex was also kidnapped but was released after a day.

Jordanov was shuttled between about a dozen locations, including an abandoned cement factory and a farm. Militants brought in people who spoke English and French to question him, he said.

He was occasionally slapped, but rarely physically abused, he said.

"It was more the humiliation and the fear," Jordanov said.

His captors sometimes probed him about his religious beliefs, asking him about Jesus, known in Arabic as Isa.

They asked, "Is Isa the son of God?" Jordanov recalled. Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet, but not of divine birth.

"You are facing 12 Islamists. There is no room for a mistake," he said they told him.

Sometimes, militants took Jordanov out blindfolded at night, forced him to his knees and shouted at him.

"They would take you out at night and play with you," Jordanov said.

The worst moment came when the kidnappers discovered an old press card he had from Israel, where he went on reporting assignments.

The militants accused him of being an agent of the Israeli spy agency Mossad.

Militants later demanded he prove he was French by drawing a map of the country and pointing out where small towns were located.

Some insurgents are more favorable toward the French because France has refused to join the U.S.-led coalition occupying Iraq.

On Wednesday afternoon, Jordanov was brought to a Baghdad mosque.

The head of the mosque told Jordanov he was free.

"He opened the door and said, 'Go out,' but I'd been taken to so many places and told so many things that I didn't know," Jordanov said.

Jordanov walked into the courtyard and later saw the French ambassador and French police.

Herve Chabalier, president of Capa, told LCI television that negotiations with Sunni Muslim clerics led to Jordanov's release.

Jordanov's kidnapping was part of a spate of seizures of foreigners by Iraqi militants. Militants executed an Italian hostage, officials in Rome said Thursday. It was the first known killing among the nearly two dozen foreigners held in Iraq.

[Coroner]

Interesting how they kill Italians but the cowardly French are friends of terrorists!!

[missyme]

They asked,: "Is Isa the Jesus the son of God?" Jordanov recalled. Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet, but not of divine birth. AND OF COURSE THE FRENCH JOURNALIST DID NOT HAVE THE B-LLS TO SAY WITHOUT A DOUBT "YES HE IS"

[missyme]

Of course! Do you think the French would stand up for GOD in a moment of crisis? no way!

[Preech1]

Is there any doubt that this is a religious war? The sooner we realize this the better.

[missyme]

Exactly, and if these Crazy Islamist Fundamentlist want to know who "Jesus" is without a doubt we should tell them.

[malakhi]

Maybe the French journalist doesn't believe that he is.

[stuartcr]

Maybe he wasn't a Christian.

[Robe]

Heathen Snail Eating Surrender Monkeys ! !

[missyme]

And that is why the war is raging on......You are correct the French Journalist and The Mujahadeen are the blind leading the blind.....

[Preech1]

Until we realize the true nature of this war, I fear we are doomed to lose it...their religious fervor will trump any technology and american pride any day.

[missyme]

True, so now he can do whatever he can to find out if Jesus is the Son Of GOD so he will know how to answer the question when someone asks him..

[missyme]

Agreed, Only Divine Intervention will End the War.

[malakhi]

You are correct the French Journalist and The Mujahadeen are the blind leading the blind.....

Nope, that's not what I said.

Why should this French journalist profess to believe "Jesus is the Son of God" if he doesn't believe it?

[bereanway]

You're probably right. This French journalist unfortunately found himself in a tough situation, but my reading is that he probably doesn't believe in much of anything. Hence, the lack of conviction and fear of saying the wrong thing. It just becomes a multiple choice quiz.

Where there are no convictions, in a situation such as this the only thing left is fear.

[Fitzcarraldo]

he probably said, "some christians believe this"

[stuartcr]

Why?

[missyme]

Even if he does not beleive it, the message of "Jesus" is one of "PEACE", something the terrorists need to know, instead of Mohammed the messenger of Violence, as long as they are followers of Mohammed the War will never stop, let them explore who Jesus is, maybe then they will stop there hatred and Killing of innocent people, and there mission to destroy Israel

[missyme]

So he can talk intelligently about Jesus, who he was, why he was on earth and what is message was while he was on earth, and most of all that acceptance of Jesus as your saviour will bring you PEACE in your Heart, PEACE in your life and PEACE with your neighbors, and best of all will reconcile you with GOD the Almighty by Jesus forgiving your Sins...

[smith288]

They asked, "Is Isa the son of God?" Jordanov recalled. Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet, but not of divine birth.

"You are facing 12 Islamists. There is no room for a mistake," he said they told him.

If he was let go, then he made a mistake in correctly answering the question.