"God Is Great!"

"We have received information that a headless body was found at 8:30 p.m. of a Caucasian man in Jolo City, Jolo Island."
"It appears to have been decapitated." 
"A motorcycle driver threw a plastic bag in the road in front of where there were five children playing at 7:30 p.m. But there was a brown-out [power failure]. When the lights went back on it was seen that there was blood on the plastic bag and police were called."
"I am angry. We are supposed to be neutral but this has been happening with impunity. The government has to do something to stop this. It has been going on for too long."
"Abu Sayhyaf had tried to ask me several months ago to negotiate. I refused to do so, but I did speak with all the hostages to confirm that they were still alive."
Dick Gordon, chairman, Philippine Red Cross

SITE Intelligence Group / REUTERS

Filipino jihadis point rifles at kidnap hostages in a video released on Tuesday. The kidnap victims, including two Canadians, appealed to the Philippine government to stop its artillery assaults.

The Philippines has been plagued with the presence of an Islamist group claiming allegiance to Islamic State. They named themselves Abu Sayyaf -- "Bearers of the Sword". Coincidentally enough Islamic State's oil minister up to the point where he was killed by U.S. Special Forces in 2015 was also named Abu Sayyaf. The sword being one of the symbols of Islam, alongside a crescent moon; the sword signifying Islam's conquest of non-believers.

The non-believers that Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines targets for abduction are those foreigners whom they feel will bring them ransom wealth from the countries whose nationals they are. Back in September this Islamist group attacked the Holiday Ocean View Marina on the resort island of Samal, considered a very safe area of the Philippines. Four captives were taken, two Canadian men, a Filipino woman and the manager of the resort, a Norwegian.

A few weeks ago, a video surfaced of the kidnappers along with the two Canadians pleading to be ransomed and set free from the clutches of the terrorists. And there was a message from the captors of the four people who demanded $8-million for their release: "Still, you procrastinate. So now this is already an ultimatum. Once you don't meet the demand, we will certainly behead one amongst this four."

The one amongst the four happened to be 68-year-old former oil executive and journalist John Ridsdel. Although Canada, like most other countries has an official policy not to negotiate with terrorists, and the government of the Philippines urged the Canadian government not to relent and provide the Islamists with a financial reward for their abductions, there were emergency efforts underway to free the captives.

It seems the sticking point was the lavish demand of $8-million, and negotiators were attempting to reduce the demands, while the Abu Sayyaf gang refused. And so the deadline passed. And so Mr. Ridsdel was beheaded, in the traditional manner as mandated by the Koran for enemies of Islam under jihadist rules; any who have not submitted to Islam are considered enemies occupying the 'House of War', which the 'House of Peace', which is Islam, must respond to.

Yet another Islamist jihadist group has 'responded'.