British hostage Alan Henning 'killed by Islamic State'

Sad but again inevitable news just breaking that Alan Henning has been murdered by his kidnapers.

A video purporting to show the beheading of British hostage Alan Henning has been released by Islamic State militants. The Salford taxi driver was delivering aid to Syria in December when he was kidnapped and then held hostage by IS. IS had threatened to kill the 47-year-old in footage showing the death of Briton David Haines last month.

BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said the footage was similar to previous videos released by IS, though slightly shorter. He said it included a reference to last week's vote by UK Parliament to authorise air strikes against IS in Iraq. Like previous videos it features a militant with an apparently British accent, he added.
www.bbc.co.uk...

Condolences to his family and friends.

Oh man, I'm so sick of these punks. I will refrain from expressing what I hope the future holds for them.

That is islam for ya. And for everybody claiming that these people are not islam, why do we call them islamic?

extremist or moderate they are all islam. They are muslim, they are islam.

I feel terrible for his family. I do not feel bad for the muslims being painted with the broad brush.

The European countries are starting to wake up. Islam is the scourge of the world

a reply to: tinner07

The KKK call themselves Christians, do we tar all Christians with the same brush?

We have funded this organisation by arming them, we can't deny that can we? We are spending Billions on weapons in support of Iraqi and Kurdish forces, yet we will not even contemplate paying a ransom for the life of an innocent aid worker.

Poor innocent aid workers and Journalists, easy targets for such a well organised regime, wouldn't you agree?

They hide behind religion, manipulating disenfranchised individuals and striking fear in everyday western folk, because they are murdering everyday Western folk.

When will we put boots on the ground and invade Syria? Soon I would think.

originally posted by: tinner07
That is people for ya. And for everybody claiming that these people are not human, why do we call them humans?

extremist or moderate they are all people. They are religious, they are human.

I feel terrible for his family. I do not feel bad for the people in my life like my family being painted with the broad brush.

The European countries are starting to wake up. Humans are the scourge of the world

I had to slightly alter your text. Childish? Probably, but there was so much ignorance in your views it kind of called for it. Look I get it. It is a human emotion to be afraid of those that are different from us. We don't understand them so the fear has been an evolutionary trigger for fight or flight.
But I'm sick of living on a planet with nothing but constant fighting, when deep down we are all the same apes scratching our butts. We barely deserve the evolution we have come up with, we sure as heck don't show respect for our world as a whole as it is. But unless we learn to control ourselves you are committing your children to live in a world of fear and intolerance that is stuck in a rut.

The barbaric brutality Islamic State have shown tonight and have continued to show for months now needs to be stopped. Airstrikes alone are not going to be effective unless you have troops on the ground to follow them up. It is time the UK and US started thinking seriously about a full ground invasion along with other NATO countries. There are more grounds to launch a major military operation now than there were in 2003. I am just sick of seeing Western apologist leaders being scared to act decisively due to past mistakes.

originally posted by: Cobaltic1978
a reply to: tinner07

The KKK call themselves Christians, do we tar all Christians with the same brush?

We have funded this organisation by arming them, we can't deny that can we? We are spending Billions on weapons in support of Iraqi and Kurdish forces, yet we will not even contemplate paying a ransom for the life of an innocent aid worker.

Poor innocent aid workers and Journalists, easy targets for such a well organised regime, wouldn't you agree?

They hide behind religion, manipulating disenfranchised individuals and striking fear in everyday western folk, because they are murdering everyday Western folk.

When will we put boots on the ground and invade Syria? Soon I would think.

The reason your argument about painting all Christians with the KKK fails is because Christianity does not condone or support such actions. The doctrine of Christianity itself, which is based on the teachings of Jesus and which replaced many of the Jewish Old Testament teachings, does not even hint at allowing such atrocities. So those using Christianity to justify their actions are wrong since the religion does not allow these things, as well as being wrong for their actions. Then you take Islam, which does address these things and does allow for jihad, and does call for killing non-Muslims. THAT is the difference, and that is why the same tired argument fails when comparing the two religions. So while the KKK is wrong in thinking themselves justified, the Muslim extremists are actually right in the context of their religion.

If the doctrine of Islam did not allow for Muslims to wage war against non-Muslims then of course you could say that these Muslim extremists are acting on their own, but considering what Islam does allow, these extremists are acting with the authority of their faith. So even if the KKK were going around and beheading people and claiming it was in the name of Christianity, you couldn't demonize Christianity because of those acts, again because the doctrine does not allow it, while Islam does. All the claims to the contrary regarding Christianity rely on examples found in the Old Testament of the Bible, but I cannot stress enough that Christianity and the Old Testament are NOT one in the same. Christianity was based on Judaism, and the Old Testament are Jewish books, but Christianity essentially discarded any justification for violence. Christians believe, because Christianity teaches, that Jesus supplanted all of those older Jewish laws and customs and taught one to abide by non-violence, morals, loving everyone, etc...The Bible states he even condemned and spurned the use of violence to keep himself from being arrested. This is the complete reverse of Islam.

I just hope I've made my point clear, and that it is all about what the religion teaches and allows. Christianity does not condone violence in any way, and those who use Christianity for such things do NOT have the backing of Christian doctrine, therefore of course one is not justified in painting all Christians with the same brush. But it is much more justifiable to paint Muslims with the same brush, because Islamic doctrine does allow for these insane acts of violence. This is partly why you have so many Muslims joining the fight, because their religion allows it. These people truly believe they are devout, and there is no way that so many people, who no doubt are religious, would take up arms in this manner if they did not believe that it was allowed by their religion. And it is. I know I am being highly redundant, but I just wanted to make this clear.

The reason the US or Britain will not pay a ransom is because all it does is increase the incentive for more kidnappings. That is relatively straightforward. You are correct that journalists and aid workers are easy targets for such extremist groups, and this is precisely why anyone who is planning on travelling to such a place should assume that something like this could happen to them. The area is volatile and one is literally taking their life in their own hands by going there, and one should be prepared for as much. If you were not willing to die for whatever it is you are going to do, then you shouldn't go. You are literally gambling with your own life, therefore wouldn't it make sense that you would be willing to pay that ultimate price if you chose to go? Those who are not willing to pay that price, in my opinion, did not think anything could happen to them. That is a mistake.

You might be right that they are hiding behind religion to some extent, but are they really hiding? Again, their religion allows these things. It allows them to wage a "holy war" against non-believers, therefore they are not "hiding" so much as they are putting their ideas and motives right out in the open. And it is quite possible that the reason the entire Muslim community doesn't stand up in defiance to these extremists is because the non-extremists know that, religiously speaking, the terrorists are justified in their actions.

And calling for boots on the ground in Syria, and thinking it will accomplish the goals laid out by western governments to defeat ISIS, is wishful thinking. Speaking from the teachings of military doctrine, an insurgent war cannot be won by sheer manpower or technology alone. This has been known by military theorists for many decades. One telling quote about this idea comes from General Weyand's remark to a North Vietnamese general in Hanoi...Weyand said "you know, you never beat us on the battlefield." His northern counterpart thought about the comment and replied, "that may be so, but it is also irrelevant." This comment gets right down to the core of attrition warfare in my opinion, and how the number of enemies you kill or the number of battles you win does not matter. All that matters is achieving objectives. And what are the objectives of the US and allied forces attempting to wage war against extremist forces? The strategy is essentially the same as the one that failed in Vietnam: seek and destroy the enemy. It is not as bad of a theory when we're talking about conventional warfare, but asymmetric warfare is much different, and a guerilla force cannot be beaten in this manner.

Everyone calling for boots on the ground, including portions of the American military leadership, are to put it simply, wrong in thinking this will solve the problem or achieve the objective. The allied experiences in Iraq should be enough to support this conclusion, but if it is not there are many other historical examples. One could think that we succeeded in Iraq because we established some sort of government there, even if that government is now under threat both from within and without. But I maintain that this is an illusion, and at the end of the day the apparent gains in that country are irrelevant. They have only prolonged the inevitable, as guerilla forces are not beaten, they simply go underground. So it could even appear that we have defeated ISIS at some point, but it will not be the case. So unless the US is prepared to stay indefinitely, I say leave the country to its own devices. And I don't think the US populace, or the population of any western nation involved in this conflict, is prepared to go the long haul, which along with a change in US strategy to better accommodate this asymmetrical conflict, is the only way to even approach success.

a reply to: gortex

It's almost like a waste of words to express sympathies. The damage is done and the poor man has been murdered for political gain. His life has been taken away and used as a tool to poke the West with.

IS will anticipate a Western response to be loud and violent enough to attract more numbers and justify further violence.

It's an awful concept, isn't it? You get to live your life on the side of what's right and good and have its memory corrupted on a political stage.

originally posted by: ladyinwaiting
Oh man, I'm so sick of these punks. I will refrain from expressing what I hope the future holds for them.

Hopefully the same that the Dagestan butchers got back in 1999 when they murdered 7 Russian conscript hostages. For those not familiar Spetnaz killed every single person involved - more than 200.

If these morons want to act like barbarians then they should be treated as such, in addition to those supporting IS as well as their families. Lets see how they like a taste of their own medicine IE eye for an eye.

originally posted by: Xcathdra

originally posted by: ladyinwaiting
Oh man, I'm so sick of these punks. I will refrain from expressing what I hope the future holds for them.

Hopefully the same that the Dagestan butchers got back in 1999 when they murdered 7 Russian conscript hostages. For those not familiar Spetnaz killed every single person involved - more than 200.

If these morons want to act like barbarians then they should be treated as such, in addition to those supporting IS as well as their families. Lets see how they like a taste of their own medicine IE eye for an eye.

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. No wonder we're heading to WW.

originally posted by: tinner07
That is islam for ya. And for everybody claiming that these people are not islam, why do we call them islamic?

extremist or moderate they are all islam. They are muslim, they are islam.

I feel terrible for his family. I do not feel bad for the muslims being painted with the broad brush.

The European countries are starting to wake up. Islam is the scourge of the world

Considering that you are a self confessed
drunk, racist and Islamophobe, your prejudiced hateful rambling BS comes as no surprise.

a reply to: skalla

He was ashamed to get a warning, but not ashamed to admit he was racist and islamaphobic..

The bad part is, when someone just flat out admits it without prompt or shame, they have decided not to better themselves. They are just accepting it - even though they know it's wrong.

Considering that you are a self confessed
drunk, racist and Islamophobe, your prejudiced hateful rambling BS comes as no surprise.

What hateful rambling BS are you talking about from this thread?
I merely stated that a lot of people are claiming that IS does not represent Islam and is not Islam, Yet everybody agrees they are muslim extremists. If they are not Islamic or Muslim why not just call them militants or guerillas?

I would hardly call that hateful rambling BS...

Now my comment that islam is the scourge of the world is probably open to being called hateful, but if you look at the turmoil muslims are creating worldwide it certainly isn't total BS.

a reply to: tinner07

Muslim extremists are to Islam as the KKK are to Christianity.

When the KKK was doing their white sheet, cross burning and killing of black men in the mid part of the last century were their actions representive of all of Christianity? Did the KKK speak for all Christians by their actions and teachings?

Every religion is going to have groups who out forth their own interpretation of religion and for the most part they do it in a manner that that only benefits those at the top. If it truly were a divine calling to kill as many people as possible to go to heaven and get 72 virgins then why are the people at the head of these groups not killing themselves for the honor?

Jim Jones, Osama Bin Laden, David Koresh, Gul Dukat (for those DS9 fans)...

All leaders of a religious group extreme in nature that does not represent the entire religion they usurped to use. When you have Imams in the UK who are considered extreme denouncing ISIS it makes one wonder just how far off the reservation ISIS has gone.

To try and find some positive -
Maybe ISIS is one of those situations where the end result is more people coming to the conclusion that fighting over religion is like fighting over who has the better imaginary friend. Who cares if someone is Muslim, Catholic, Hindu, Baptist, Atheist...

In the end when we die stats are not sent back to earth as to which groups are right and wrong. Better still is the fact that God has never stated his/her/its religious position. For a religion to claim affiliation of God alone should be a red flag.

Just my 2 cents and if anyone is offended my bad.

Deeply appalled, but sadly not surprised, at this news. Also disappointed but not surprised to see anti Islam BS being spouted yet again, are they KKK supporters made uncomfortable by the comparison? That's the only reason I can think of that doesn't involve the perpetrators being retarded. Maybe those Muslims paying their respects to Alan at his memorial service and calling IS "evil" passed you guys by?

IS have shown themselves to be beyond any religion, or reason, and in contempt of even their own twisted interpretation of Islamic law, in executing Alan despite the fact that he was actually held before a Shariah court and declared innocent!

Pure killing for the love of it.

a reply to: tinner07

Who has caused the most problems in the world? No Muslims have started world wars or dropped nuclear weapons (so far). You might also remember that little "Christian" trick of burning people at the stake or torturing them to recant. In painting these bastards as representatives of Islam is extremely bigoted. Maybe all Catholics should be rounded up and shot? After all, thry all supported the IRA, right?

originally posted by: tinner07
That is islam for ya. And for everybody claiming that these people are not islam, why do we call them islamic?

extremist or moderate they are all islam. They are muslim, they are islam.

I feel terrible for his family. I do not feel bad for the muslims being painted with the broad brush.

The European countries are starting to wake up. Islam is the scourge of the world

I'd say religion in general is the scourge of the Earth and that islam just happens to be the worst of the bunch.

a reply to: BasementWarriorKryptonite

Surely it is Extremism that is the scourge of the world?

The KKK and IRA were Christian organisations, but most Christians were and are appalled by them. Given that all religions relied on fear of retribution to keep adherents in line for centuries, it's hardly surprising that the more psychopathic followers take things to the next level, but the vast majority of followers of all religions generally want to just get on with their own lives in my experience.

Being not religious at all myself, I find it the height of hypocrisy when the followers of one religion start slagging off others.
It's a general trait of human nature to confront the different. Christians v Muslims, Labour v Tory, Rotherham United fans v Sheffield Wednesday fans, I don't think there's sny getting away from it. One demon is always replaced by another. After all, who gave a toss about Muslims when the Soviet Union existed? If you're not old enough to remember that far back, the answer is nobody. I always thought the government did that, but maybe we just did it to ourselves?

a reply to: waynos

I stand corrected - funny though that there seem to be so many religious extremists.