Religious Leaders and Family Plea for Release of the British Hostage

After a series of unmerciful murders of foreign hostages by the militant groups in Iraq earlier this week, the safety of the remaining hostages is under serious threat.

American hostages Eugene "Jack" Armstrong, 52, and Jack Hensley, 48, were beheaded on Monday and Tuesday after their demands were not met.

In addition, two Italian women - Simona Torretta and Simona Pari - both 29, were working for a humanitarian group called Bridge to Baghdad, when they were taken hostage around two weeks ago.

Two separate groups claimed to have killed the women. However, on Thursday, 23rd September, the Italian government warned that reports of two Italian women being held captive in Iraq have been killed were "unreliable."

Being only partially informed about the situation of the hostage, the concern for the Briton Kenneth Bigley from his family and religious leaders has deepened further.

At a news conference on Thursday, Muslim and Christian religious leaders in Bigley’s hometown - Liverpool - appealed for his captors to free him.

Akbar Ali, the chairman of Liverpool Mosque and Islamic Institute said, "In the name of God, the merciful one, we as Muslim and Christian leaders in Liverpool appeal to you as believers to have mercy on Kenneth Bigley."

James Jones, Anglican Bishop of Liverpool also joined the appeal of Ali. "We're appealing to them on the grounds of their own faith and their own faith in the God of mercy to be merciful, to have compassion in this situation and to release Mr. Bigley," Jones said.

Bigley's pleading in a video was posted on an Islamist Web site. In the video, Kenneth Bigley tearfully pleaded for British Prime Minister Tony Blair to help spare his life.

Bigley’s family are all seriously worried about his situation and pleaded for the militant group's merciful hands. The British hostage's son, Craig said, "Release Ken back to his wife and family. We ask you, as a family, to be all merciful."

However, the response of the British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was quite pessimistic, "I wish that the prime minister were in that position and so does he. The only people who can release Mr. Bigley are the terrorists who have captured Mr. Bigley."

The British hostage, Kenneth Bigley, 62, was abducted last Thursday along with two Americans from their Baghdad residence. The three men were in Iraq working on reconstruction projects for the Middle Eastern company, Gulf Supplies and Commercial Services.