First of all, Jill’s father has made a second appeal for Jill’s release this time appearing on CNN:
I wish to speak to the men holding my daughter. I hope that you heard the conviction in Jill’s voice when speaking of your country. That was real. She is not your enemy. When you release her alive, she will tell your story with the same conviction. Alive my daughter will not be silenced.
Yours is a story which can to be told to the world by Jill. Allowing her to live and releasing her will enable her to do so. As you know by now, my daughter is honest, sincere, and of good heart. Her respect for the Iraqi people has been shown through her words as a reporter. Jill started to tell your story, please, allow her to finish it. Through the media if necessary, advise her family and me how to initiate a dialogue which will lead to her release.
And of real note today, Montasser al-Zayat — head of the Liberties Committee and a former member of the Egyptian militant group Gamaa Islamiya (Islamic Group) — has appealed for Jill’s release. This is really good. Hopefully, his message will have an impact. It makes me feel really hopeful. Al-Zayat is an Islamic lawyer and author of the book The Road to Al-Qaeda. He has represented numerous Islamic militants in Egyptian courts and shared a prison cell with Ayman Zawahiri, Al-Qaeda’s number two man. Mr. al-Zayat sent the following message:
I followed with grave concern the kidnapping of the American journalist Jill Carroll on Saturday, January 7, west of Baghdad. I’m concerned to what extent are the resistance factions — who are kidnapping journalists and media workers — following the guidelines of religion. The resistance, which has the right to fight the occupation and target its symbols and spies, must also be sure of the facts on the ground.
I learned from media reports and from friends who knew the kidnapped reporter that she was well known for her sympathy towards the Iraqi people since the start of the terrible occupation. She observed the Arab and Islamic traditions, and dressed modestly out of respect to the Iraqi customs derived from Islam. Also her published reports show clearly her sympathetic approach towards the Iraqi cause.
If the reporter has been in the hands of the Iraqi resistance for nearly two weeks now, then this means she has been interrogated carefully, and the truth should have been revealed by now to the kidnappers. I’m asking the kidnappers to release her so that it would be a clear message to the whole world — a message of a just cause and the ability to achieve justice even under the most difficult circumstances, where the Iraqi people and the resistance movements are facing the tyranny of the occupier.
I’m sending my regards to the honorable resistance men, who are fighting the occupation, and I’m reminding everyone with our prisoners in the occupation prisons in Iraq and Palestine. May Allah help secure their release.
UPDATE: A top Hamas official, Sayeed Syam, has just asked for Jill’s release:
Hamas joins those who ask to release American citizen Jill Carroll. Hamas is against the kidnapping of innocent people, of foreigners who are guests in the Arab countries, and those who introduce humanitarians services and help for the Arab people — and for any people in general — especially when they are not interfering in internal Arab affairs. We have declared many times we are totally against kidnapping civilians.