German hostage in Iraq told she was safe as Muslim

A German held hostage in Iraq for three weeks said on Monday that the kidnappers who freed her a week ago promised not to hurt her because she was a Muslim. In her first interview since the ordeal, Susanne Osthoff, 43, told Al Jazeera television at its Qatar headquarters that they also said they did not want money. “They said ‘Ms. Susan, we know you and you are Iraq’s friend’,” said Osthoff, a convert to Islam who speaks fluent Arabic. She is an archaeologist who has spent more than a decade working on excavations in Iraq. “‘We’re informing you now this was a political reason why we kidnapped you, and we’ll inform you later about what will happen, so don’t be afraid, we don’t harm women or children, and you are Muslim’,” Osthoff quoted a kidnapper as saying. “I was very happy because I knew I wasn’t in the hands of criminals,” she said. Her comments were translated into Arabic from English and parts were unclear. Full Story