Media ignores Al Qaeda horror story

Recent conversation with friends prompted debate on issue of women's rights around the world; specifically in the Muslim world.  Al Qaeda found in Iraq preying on innocent women to advance their radical agenda yet mainstream media fails to report truth.  Below recap highlights horror story:

Meet the new face of evil.  Her name is Samira Ahmed Jassim al-Azzawi.  Until her recent arrest in Baghdad this 51 year old woman was a recruiter of suicide bombers for al Qaeda.  Her primary recruiting tool – rape. 

In a culture where infidelity can lead to a stoning and rape victims are often more severely punished than their attackers, she used this mindset as a weapon against vulnerable women.  She freely and proudly admits arranging for 80 women to be raped in the hope of persuading them to save their honor by strapping explosives to their chests and heading to the local market.  Apparently 28 of them followed her guidance; killing hundreds of innocent men, women and children and injuring hundreds more.

If this were not disturbing enough the reaction of the American media has been jaw dropping.  They have either glossed over the story or ignored it completely.  The New York Times article on February 3, 2008 was fairly typical of the Mainstream Media’s response.

“… Her remarks suggested that she had to work diligently to persuade women to become bombers, speaking to them many times.

She also appeared to confirm what many military and intelligence officials had asserted: that insurgents prey on women in dire social and economic situations who are often suffering from emotional or psychological problems, or abuse.”

They managed to write a 675 word article on the subject without mentioning the use of rape to coerce these poor women instead just said that she had to "work diligently".  

The Associated Press did their part as well.  In the original release, which ran 928 words, they failed to mention rape.  This, despite the fact they had an exclusive interview where she confessed to all of her evil deeds.

Somehow the foreign press got wind of the truth and began running explosive headline and stories:

Al-Qaeda damaged by arrest of 'rape and suicide bomb' woman  Times (London)

Woman set up rapes to recruit her martyrs  The Australian

Iraqi woman recruited army of female suicide bombers by having them raped... then told them martyrdom was only way to escape shame  Daily Mail

 
Welt (German) online English webpage opens with this grabber: 

 “First the girls were raped, then they were sent to her: Samira Ahmed Jassim is the ‘mother’ of female suicide bombers in Iraq. It was her job to convince the young women that suicide was the only way to save the honor of their families.”

Compare this to the tepid response in America:

Trainer of female suicide bombers reported arrested  USA Today

Iraq: Suspected female militant 'recruiter' held  CNN

Woman accused of recruiting female suicide bombers held in Iraq  Los Angeles Times

The AP later came out with a new release, 'Mother' of Iraqi women bomber network arrested, which lightly touched on the rape aspect of the story but couldn’t resist the urge, despite a taped confession, to vacillate and try to discredit their own report .  

“The U.S. and Iraqi militaries have made past claims without providing much evidence about efforts by insurgents to recruit vulnerable women as well as children as attackers … It also was not possible independently to verify the claim that insurgents sent out people to rape women who could then be recruited as bombers in the volatile Diyala province northeast of Baghdad.”

There were few if any follow up stories in the American Press.  For those who only get their news from the Mainstream Media (MSM), this horror story didn’t exist. 

Just when you think the story can’t get any more horrific, The Sun (London) is reporting Al-Qaeda in gay rape horror:

‘EVIL al-Qaeda chiefs are raping young male converts to shame them into becoming suicide bombers, it emerged yesterday.' 

The intense social stigma and fear of more gay sex attacks leaves Muslims prepared
to die.

The warped new tactic was revealed by a reformed Algerian militant. Abu Baçir El Assimi said: “The sexual act on young recruits aged between 16 to 19 was a means to urge them to commit suicide operations.”    

Don’t expect to hear a peep from the American MSM on this new subject and probably precious little more about the vicious rapes and abuse of women that occurred in Iraq.  If a story doesn’t hurt America’s image it tends to have a very short shelf life.    

Meanwhile, 3 days after the story broke, the National Organization for Women (NOW) is stone silent.  The top of their list of “Hot Topics” is getting a female as the next head of the Department of Health and Human Services. 

It is nice to see that the MSM and NOW are "working diligently" to protect the right of women around the world.