Time Running Out for Hostages.

The Taliban have declared the negotiations over the South Korean hostages a failure and are now deciding what to do with them. The US and Afghanistan are remaining firm in their insistence not to release any Taliban prisoners, and the South Korean negotiators don't have the power to meet the Taliban's demands.

An article at The American Thinker today says that kidnapping is what the Islamists are commanded to do by the Koran and the hadith (Islamic traditions), so giving into the kidnappers demands will not necessarily inspire more kidnappings. They'll do it regardless.

I don't agree. We must stand up for our own principles, and giving in to the Taliban's demands shows a weakness to an enemy that will take advantage of any sign of it, even if it is to save the lives of the victims. Since the hostages are not Muslim, there's no guarantee that the Taliban will release them once a ransom has been paid.

It may sound cruel, and I certainly would rather see the hostages released, but we shouldn't give in to thugs.

Pray for the hostages, that they will remain steadfast in their faith, and that they will be delivered.