On the death of Kayla Mueller and ISIS propaganda
I don’t for a moment think that Jordanian air strikes caused the death of Kayla Mueller, as ISIS has claimed. But even if such air strikes had been the cause, the full responsibility for her death would still lie with ISIS, the group that kidnapped her and placed her in that position.
Let’s assume, though, that ISIS murdered her, and probably quite some time ago. This would be consistent with their behavior so far towards other American hostages. What is inconsistent, however, is their not using a film of the process for propaganda purposes.
So—understanding that this is all highly speculative—I’ve wondered why they would not have done the same with Mueller’s death as they have with the murders of her hostage predecessors. In other words, why no video? Here are some possibilities:
(1) It’s a different branch of ISIS with a different m.o..
(2) ISIS is beginning to think these videos are backfiring. Either they’re not helping with recruitment, or there is new fear that they will arouse a response like the Jordanian one, which took them by surprise and has inflicted harm.
(3) ISIS has no reluctance to enslave, rape, murder, or torture women. But I don’t recall them releasing any propaganda videos of the beheading or burning of a woman so far. Unless I’m forgetting something, all the hostage murder videos up to this point have been of men. It may be that ISIS has decided recently that there would be a backlash against a similar Mueller video because she was a woman, and that therefore the best propaganda use of her death would be to try to blame it on the Jordanians.
When the Nazis committed horrendous and sadistic crimes against innocents, they usually considered it best to perform these acts in relative secret because they felt it could inflame their own population against them. Of course, some of the knowledge of concentration and death camps seeped out, but there was an effort to hide them from the German people as much as possible rather than to flaunt them, and although the Nazis even did some filming of these things it was not for public dissemination or propaganda. It is not a sign of human progress that the sadists of ISIS now consider it a good idea to broadcast the murders they commit, the more torturous the better, in order to attract those of like mind.
[NOTE: This article claims that ISIS “sentenced” Mueller to death last year.]
It’s possible she died of natural causes. Maybe an accident, or illness.
Then ISIS took the opportunity of the Jordan airstrikes to blame them for her death, and at least get some propaganda value that way.
If ISIS had executed her, I think they would have either released the video, or kept the death a secret so they can release the video later. They kept the death of the Jordan pilot a secret for a month or so. Blaming Jordan seems to reduce their options.
The leaders of isis are evil barbarians but they are crafty and astute at targeting their intended propaganda audience. Perhaps they were playing Mueller’s death close to the chest and waiting for a special opportunity to make their announcement. Blaming Jordan is not going to fool anyone so there must be some other twisted logic involved.
She was not the best subject to support their propaganda aims. See: http://www.debbieschlussel.com/77161/kayla-mueller-dead-isis-hostage-was-jew-hating-anti-israel-bitch/
Not endorsing the article, but all of her activities apparently were not as pure as reported so far by the liberal media.
I’m not at a point yet where I can spew, or support, such bile is seen in the Schlussel column. I am a person who always prefers peace and the moral high ground. But I am also a realist who understands that you don’t always have the luxury of choosing peace.
If anything, I hope this incident is a learning experience for stupid little Gen Y kids who don’t know – or refuse to accept – that the real world is full of this kind of evil. And it’s full of people who won’t let you choose peace, no matter how nice you are to them, no matter how respectful of their diversity you are, no matter how much you adopt their enemies as your own. If you are their enemy how you act is not changing that.
“understanding that this is all highly speculative.”
Yes, unfortunately, it is all speculative; and I suspect it will remain so for a while which no doubt is making it even harder for her family.
But, it would not surprise me if it was because some ISIS leaders now realize that the video of Moaz al_Kasasbeh’s (The Jordanian pilot – his name deserves to be remembered) death backfired. They are evil; but, do seem to be quick learners when it comes to some things.
ISIS is a zealous Islamic movement who emulate Mohammad’s recorded actions as closely as possible. Mohammad rarely murdered women prisoners. Instead he and his followers would take them as sex slaves or as hostages to be ransomed. They believed that since Allah had put the women into their power they were entitled to rape them while they awaited ransom. Those facts which are well established in the Sunnah would explain the absence of any females starring in ISIS snuff movies.
The reason Mohammad spared females was not that he had any compunction about killing them – he did kill them whenever he felt like it – but because slaves were a form of wealth. Although the women were allowed to live they were completely dehumanized reduced from free women into property on the level with barnyard animals who were allowed to exist only in so far as they were useful to their owners. Apparently they had no further use for Kayla Mueller so they killed her without adieu. In a perverted way producing a movie of a person’s death is an acknowledgment that that person was a human being who had value. In Islam women are not valued enough to merit that type of attention.
I do want to point out that according to their reading of the Koran and Hadiths ISIS is a highly moral organization. It is difficult for Westerners to understand that the morality in the Koran and Hadiths is inverted relatively to ours. What we see as wicked criminal behavior the more literal Muslims see Muslim holy men and women cleansing the world of the impurity of infidels and kaffirs.
It is difficult for Westerners to understand that the morality in the Koran and Hadiths is inverted relatively to ours.
It’s also easy to relate to Leftists, since they appear to have incompatible ethics compared to the rest of humanity.
Kyndyll: “I’m not at a point yet where I can spew, or support, such bile is seen in the Schlussel column.”
While I don’t know who Schlussel is and while I would not use the language she used. I don’t discredit the facts that she shares about the victim. Facts that were absent in the MSM story.
“Mueller also praised Palestinians who attacked Israelis with rocks and said she marched “arm in arm” with them and supported their violence.”
I’m reminded of Rachel Aliene Corrie who tangled with a bulldozer and lost some years ago.
I’m sorry that a young life was lost , but more sorry that her view of the world and her actions may have contributed to her death.
“I do want to point out that according to their reading of the Koran and Hadiths ISIS is a highly moral organization.”
This is the most difficult part, the idea that the very _definition_ of what is good and moral is so wildly different with the ISIS, and so counter-intuitive for us. Judged against their own standards they are probably righteous and their cause just.
For maximal effect they’ll bring back …
… … … the Khazouk:
“If you think ISIS’s killing methods are bad wait till you see what one video in Arabic done by a Muslim lady dressed in a Hijab circulated to Muslims worldwide. The video was a complaint to Caliph al-Baghdadi of ISIS as “the call of Muslim mothers” arguing that such methods as “beheading” and “shooting” are just too humane and will not work to stop the U.S. led coalition air raids which she complained that this is persecution against her living in Syria. To eliminate the attacks she suggested that an Ottoman method of execution be used to detract pilots from joining the coalition against ISIS. She suggested to use the captured Jordanian pilot Moaz Kasasbeh and begged not to execute him mercifully by using a bullet or a knife, but begged them to reinstitute the Khazouk.””…
“Are you going to execute him with a merciful bullet? Or are you going to execute him with a merciful knife?” she asks. Khawiskou “impale him” she cries out “then send him to his mother” says the peace-loving Muslim lady. “Why are the Arab world fighting us. We are Muslim doing the will of Allah”. “I am pleading [ISIS] to honor my special request that you Khazouk him “impale him” and post it all over the social networks and the media”.
http://shoebat.com/2015/02/03/watch-horrific-video-isis-burning-pow-jordanian-pilot/
B-t-w, the damsel:
Abdullah Abu Rahma, coordinator of the popular committee in the village of Bil’in where Kayla joined the protests, told ISM: “Kayla came to Palestine to stand in solidarity with us. She marched with us and faced the military that occupies our land side by side with us. For this, Kayla will always live in our hearts. We send all our support to her family and will continue, like Kayla, to work against injustice wherever it is.”…
http://israelmatzav.blogspot.com/2015/02/dont-cry-too-much-over-kayla-mueller.html
It is getting boring ….
… and, b-t-w, when a little boy in the 1960’s living in several of these Godforsaken countries the help would routinely threaten us with the Zhazouk when my brothers and I misbehaved.
They didn’t say it meanly, it was part of the vernacular remnant from Turkish occupation ….