Aussie Hostages in Iraq

From the ABC's AM Program interview with Michael Rubin, who finished a stint in July this year as an adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad:

On who is behind it:
"...but there's so many groups they're a dime a dozen and they always tend to shift."

On how Iraqis feel about it:
"It sounds more like an al-Qaeda linked group. Iraqis may be nationalistic, but many of the Iraqis when you read the Iraqi newspapers and such frown on such things as kidnapping, because they feel that it gives a) Iraqis and b) Muslims a bad name."

On why it has happened:
"That said, unfortunately I think Australia's in this position today largely because the Philippine Government and the Spanish Government previously caved in to such blackmail."

On who is helping the terrorists at home:
"Most certainly the Australian election is relevant to this issue. The insurgents tend to be remarkably politically sophisticated. Remember that those home networks, I wouldn't be surprised if people in Australia were emailing some of the insurgents, basically describing the Australian political situation and try to determine how to best affect it."

So, according to the expert, we have an obscure Islamic Miltant Group with links to Al-Quaeda, not Iraqi nationalist terrorists but Islamic religious terrorists, kidnapping Australians in the hope of influencing Australia's foreign policy, because it has been shown to work as the Spanish and Phillipinos have already caved in, being aided in some way by locals here in Australia.

Therefore we have terrorist sympathisers in Australia, quite happy to assist Islamic terrorists who kidnap people in order to achive their political ends. Who are these people? Where do they come from? Where do they live? And why do they hate our government and way of life so much?

This is a poor advertisement for Islamic Australians. Where are the voices from the Australian Islamic Community decrying hostage taking and armed militancy? Why is there such a great silence? Imams of Australia, speak up! Distance yourself from these groups who would hold Australia, your country, to ransom. Join your Iraqi brethren in condemning such acts of terrorism.