January 20, 2006	Friday	Zilhaj 19, 1426

WASHINGTON: Muslim and Arab-American groups from across North America have urged the kidnappers of a US journalist in Iraq to immediately release her, calling her abduction a violation of Islamic principles. The kidnappers, however, are saying that they will kill Jill Carroll, a contributor to the Christian Science Monitor, unless their demands are met.

Ms Carroll, 28, grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which has a sizable and influential Arab-American community. Muslim groups also have announced plans to dispatch representatives to Iraq to call for Ms Carroll’s release, who was abducted on Jan 7 in Baghdad.

On Tuesday, Al Jazeera television aired a silent, 20-second video clip containing the first photos of Ms Carroll seen since her kidnapping. A logo on the tape read the Revenge Brigade, a group not previously known for claiming responsibility for violence in Iraq.

The video included the threat to kill Carroll within 72 hours if all Iraqi women in military custody were not released.

In Washington, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said it plans to send two of its members to Jordan, where they were to hold a news conference.

Then they planned to head to Iraq where they hoped to meet with government officials and continue to call for Carroll’s release.