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March 09, 2007
Anniversary of a hostage-taking
30 years ago today, Iran helped extricate Jewish hostages from Muslim terrorists. Yes, you heard that right. But it was a different Iran then.
They killed a reporter and shot Marion Berry. They were pissed off about a movie about Mohammed, among other things.
When Muslim terrorists stormed the B'nai B'rith International headquarters on March 9, 1977, the notion of a terror attack on U.S. soil was a still unfamiliar concept. As we look back on that time, it's enlightening to note that Iran helped end this volatile hostage situation involving Jews.On that day 30 years ago, hiding behind rifles and machetes, a dozen Hanafi Muslim terrorists held hostage more than 139 people at the then-B'nai B'rith International headquarters on Rhode Island Avenue, the District Building and the Islamic Center. The group said it was avenging the murders of seven members of a Hanafi leader's family four years earlier at the hands of a rival Muslim group.
Ambassadors from Iran, Egypt and Pakistan read to the gunman passages from the Koran that they said demonstrated Islam's compassion and mercy. They urged the gunmen to surrender. These ambassadors relied on their religious faith for compassion and tolerance. This secular, pre-revolutionary Iran was a friend to the United States and, to a lesser extent, Israel.
The terrorists surrendered 39 hours after they began their attack. One person was killed, two others were shot, dozens were injured and all were terrorized.
Judith | 03/09/07 at 01:29 PM | Categories: - Iran
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Comments
I think we need the Big Book of Islamic Terrorism to keep track of all the outrages that slip down the memory hole.
Rob | March 9, 2007 04:51 PM
Severasl sites are keeping track of these incidents but I don't have the URLs right now.
Judith | March 9, 2007 05:02 PM
I love the form of words: "passages from the Koran that THEY SAID demonstrated Islam's compassuion and mercy". Even when Lulims are saving Jewish lives you (or the sources you choose to quote) can't bring yourself to admit that there might be any good in Islam, can you?
The other Rob of course misses the point altogether.
Lulims? WTF did that come from? I meant Muslims, of course, though maybe I should start a new religion of Lulims. Call it Uslam or some such. Perhaps it would catch on if it involved using the Koran to save Jewish lives.
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