If there was any doubt about

the wickedness and intentions of those associated with Al Qaeda, the

recent murder of Nicholas Berg should have

brought crystal clarity into the minds of all but the most naive.

Berg, it is to be remembered, was the 26-year-old civilian who went

to Iraq because, according to his parents, he wanted to help the Iraqi

people rebuild their country. For his efforts, he was kidnapped, paraded

before the cameras, and, with several masked Al Qaeda thugs holding him

down, had his head sawed off his body with a knife as he thrashed about

and screamed.

According to news reports, it took 30 seconds to cut through his throat

and complete the dastardly and criminal deed. If one wants to know how

long 30 seconds is, one should just hold their breath for that length

of time and try to imagine the steel blade slicing into skin, muscle,

windpipe, sinew and, finally, sawing through bone. In that one scene

is the goal of the terrorists for all non-Muslims throughout the world.

The United Arab Emirates condemned

the beheading as a "heinous

crime against the civilized world."

"We are ashamed because these terrorists carried out this revolting

and inhumane act in the name of our religion and culture," UAE Information

Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan said in a written statement.�"This

disgusting brutality can never be justified and has nothing to do with

Islam or with our Arab values."

The Berg family, and the families of countless other victims who have

been tortured, brutalized, and mutilated, may find that hard to believe.

Gracia Burnham and her husband

Martin were missionaries, stationed in the Philippines, with New Tribes

Missions. Their story is told in "In

the Presence of My Enemies" (Tyndale House Publishers) by Gracia

Burnham and Dean Merrill. On May 27, 2001, while celebrating their 18th

wedding anniversary at Dos Palmas Resort on the island of Palawan, the

Burnhams were kidnapped, along with 18 other guests and staff, by members

of Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim terrorist group with ties to Al Quada and Osama

bin Laden.

Six days later, two of the

men were beheaded. A third beheading was botched and the victim miraculously

survived the attempt, although he

was left with a terrible wound. Ten days after that, another captive,

an American, was beheaded as he pled for his life and vainly begged for

the opportunity to see his sons again. The terrorist who killed him said

that he would have had "more trouble killing a dog" than he

had when he beheaded the American. On June 2, four more individuals,

all workers at a hospital, were kidnapped, as well.

During the one year and 11

days that the Burnhams were held captive, primarily on the island of

Mindanao, a number of other people who had

the misfortune to encounter Abu Sayyaf were also beheaded. A number of

the women were forced to accept Islam and were forcibly "married" to

members of Abu Sayyaf. The rules of Islam, regarding proper treatment,

did not apply to non-Muslims, the terrorists told the Burnhams over and

over. The rules of Islam also did not apply to those who were "bad

Muslims," "bad" being defined by the terrorists.

When the Burnhams protested

that they were being mistreated, members of Abu Sayyaf told them that "the Koran says we can do this," and

then gave them the references from the Koran supporting their treatment

of their captives. The terrorists said that they could do one of four

things with captives: (1) kill them; (2) make them slaves; (3) have them

convert to Islam and live in peace; or (4) collect taxes from them and

allow them to practice their religion in secret. The terrorists also

said that the war (Jihad) would continue until all the earth was under

the dominion of Islam. On June 7, 2002, Martin Burnham and a captive

nurse were killed in a rescue attempt. Gracia Burnham was wounded by

gun fire and was eventually evacuated and returned to the United States.

Perhaps there are those Muslims

who believe that this version of Islam does not correctly reflect "true" Islam but the fact is that,

in every nation where Islam dominates, other peoples and religions are

persecuted or oppressed to one extent or another. Even in Turkey, the

most "moderate" and "democratic" of the Islamic states,

one is not permitted to evangelize. If there is a more "moderate" Islam

in the world, then its leaders need to stand publicly and loudly and

consistently condemn groups such as Abu Sayyaf and Al Quada. Otherwise,

non-Muslims have little choice but to assume that, given enough time,

every non-Muslim in the world will face the same fate as Nicholas Berg,

if the terrorists prevail.

On Sept. 11, 2001, some 3,000 people died horrible deaths at the hands

of Islamic terrorists. Since that day around 800 U. S. military personnel

have been killed fighting radical Muslims, the kind of people who beheaded

Nicholas Berg and the people like them who beheaded the helpless captives

in the Philippines.

"Why are we there fighting Al Qaeda and their ilk in Iraq and Afghanistan?" some

people have asked. The simple answer is so that they won't come

here.

[Father David Epps is rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal

Church on Ga. Highway 34 between Peachtree City and Newnan. The church

offers Sunday services at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. He may be contacted at www.ctkcec.org

or at [email protected].]