The Yonhap story stated, “The declaration made by members of the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP) said the hostages should be released on humanitarian grounds.
“Nobel Peace Prize winners such as Tibet's Dalai Lama, South Africa's Desmond Tutu and Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland are members of the global peace group. One of the group's aims is to halt the use of religion as a weapon of war and to make it a true tool for the advancement of peace and harmony.
“The IIFWP's announcement then called on the hostage takers to consider the pain and suffering felt by the family members of those held in Afghanistan. It urged all people promoting world peace to take solid steps to facilitate the safe release of the 21 South Koreans.
“The organization said it is opposed to military action that could endanger the lives of the hostages, and supported Seoul's efforts to resolve the matter in a peaceful manner.”
It added, “However, they said that while the South Koreans taken by the Taliban were in the country to help its people by providing aid and medical services, their activities were influenced by religion. The IIFWP said the incident should be a valuable lesson to halt efforts by some Christian groups to preach the Bible in Islamic countries.”
"The hostages are in grave danger and it is natural that the IIFWP should call for their release," said a spokesperson for the organization in Seoul. The official is in the South Korean capital to examine preparations for the world peace conference organized by the group.
The Taliban took 23 South Korea Christian volunteer workers on July 19 on the road between Kabul and Kandahar. They have since killed two and threatened to kill more if the Afghan government does not release Taliban prisoners.
© 2007 ASSIST News Service, used with permission
