Muslim websites debate Hassan kidnap

The kidnap of Irish-born aid worker Margaret Hassan has sparked debate on fundamentalist Islamic websites, with many contributors urging that her life be spared given her decades-long service to the Iraqi people.

The 59-year-old director of Care International’s Iraqi operations was seized on Tuesday in western Baghdad. On a videotape aired on Friday by Al-Jazeera television, a terrified Mrs Hassan made a tearful plea for her life, calling on Prime Minister Tony Blair to withdraw troops from Iraq.