Video Shows Senior Syrian Opposition Fighter Engaging in Cannibalism

[David__77]

Time has an article on this apparent case of anti-Assad cannibalism:

The video starts out like so many of the dozens coming out of the war in Syria every day, with the camera hovering over the body of a dead Syrian soldier. But the next frame makes it clear why this video, smuggled out of the city of Homs and into Lebanon with a rebel fighter, and obtained by TIME in April, is particularly shocking. In the video a man who is believed to be a rebel commander named Khalid al-Hamad, who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Sakkar, bends over the government soldier, knife in hand. With his right hand he moves what appears to be the dead man’s heart onto a flat piece of wood or metal lying across the body. With his left hand he pulls what appears to be a lung across the open cavity in the man’s chest. According to two of Abu Sakkar’s fellow rebels, who said they were present at the scene, Abu Sakkar had cut the organs out of the man’s body. The man believed to be Abu Sakkar then works his knife through the flesh of the dead man’s torso before he stands to face the camera, holding an organ in each hand. “I swear we will eat from your hearts and livers, you dogs of Bashar,” he says, referring to supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Off camera, a small crowd can be heard calling out “Allahu akbar” — God is great. Then the man raises one of the bloodied organs to his lips and starts to tear off a chunk with his teeth.

http://world.time.com/2013/05/12/atrocities-will-be-televised-they-syrian-war-takes-a-turn-for-the-worse/

Videos found at the next link (caution please):

Peter N. Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch has been able to confirm the name of the man in the videos as Abu Sakkar of Baba Amro, Homs, also known as Khaled Al Hamad, a former senior figure in Al Farouq Brigade.

http://www.aina.org/news/20130512174542.htm

What's especially notable is that Time did not release the video even when the man's friends and family swore it was not a fake. I think that is the scandal here, as it is (sadly) not surprising that a radical insurgent would engage in cannibalism.

[geek tragedy]

1. Refusing to release snuff porn is perfectly understandable. nt

[David__77]

2. I can agree with not linking, as they still do not do.

But not even mentioning them seems odd. The media policy about these things is clearly driven by editorial considerations. Abu Ghraib was one such case in point.

[loyalsister]

3. I think so too

It would just present an image that would be generalized to make them look uncivilized.

[Comrade Grumpy]

5. Are you calling eating your enemy's organs uncivilized?

[loyalsister]

6. I'm saying that once such an image gets out

everyone is guilty. There is no shortage of stereotypes people use to demonize Muslims. Adding an "uncivilized" stereotype does not help.

[David__77]

8. Assad is a Muslim too. There are plenty of Muslims.

Only a few are going around gobbling up their political enemies. I'm not interested in protecting the public image of cannibals.

[Yo_Mama]

10. Are you seriously suggesting that people are going to think that all Muslims are cannibals?

Really?????

[Fumesucker]

12. Doubtful that long pig is halal n/t

[Yo_Mama]

14. Good point n/t

[loyalsister]

13. How many people do you believe think all Muslims are terrorists?

1 in 3

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20103589-503544/poll-1-in-3-think-muslim-americans-more-sympathetic-to-terrorists-than-other-americans/

[Yo_Mama]

15. More sympathetic is not "terrorist"

And 60% don't believe that Muslims ARE more sympathetic to terrorists.

I would say that this survey does not make it likely that we need anticipate a mass fear of long-pig eating Muslim hysteria.

US Muslims are a strikingly boring, moderate lot. In fact they probably are slightly more sympathetic to terrorists than everyone else, but only a very small percentage (13%) of the Muslims in the Pew survey felt that attacks on civilian targets were ever justified. 21% of Muslim Americans in that survey felt that there was either a great deal or a fair amount of support for Islamic extremism in the Muslim American community. Which, btw, is not supported by either the 2007 or 2011 surveys. There isn't. Those 60% who don't believe that Muslims are more sympathetic to terrorism are on to something.

Only 34% of Muslim Americans thought that there was no support of Islamic extremism in the American Muslim community. It's not that clear that Muslim Americans would answer the poll you cite much differently than the American general public!

The 2011 Pew survey results can be downloaded here:
http://www.people-press.org/category/datasets/?download=20050837

60% of American Muslims in that survey felt at least some concern about the possible rise of Islamic extremism in the US, versus 67% of the general public. That's not that statistically significant. There was no difference in attitudes between the general American public and Muslim Americans toward the rise of Islamic extremism in the rest of the world.

[Warpy]

7. Snuff porn and war propaganda

While some of them might be desperately hungry enough to consider eating long pig, you can bloody well bet they'd never be filmed doing it, nor even witnessed by fellow fighters.

This is pure horseshit. I don't even have to wait 3 days for the smell to be identified as such.

[Comrade Grumpy]

9. Okay. Please update when this is debunked.

[Comrade Grumpy]

4. So...who is going to be the first to send arms to this guy?

And what's for dinner?

[Katashi_itto]

11. We need to recruit this guy if we have a civil war with Republicans.

[arely staircase]

16. eating your enemy's sword arm for strength seems legit, but beyond that

yuck.