Sheik Taj El Din al-Hilaly

On the heels of news that Akihiko Saito is dead, efforts to determine the condition of Australian hostage Douglas Wood and secure his release continue.

AP reports:

Cleric offers to swap places with Wood

Australia's mufti also asks militants for updated video to show Alamo hostage is still alive

CANBERRA, Australia — A senior Muslim cleric is offering to swap places with an Australian hostage held in Iraq, the sheiks spokesman said Thursday.
Douglas Wood, a 63-year-old engineer who lives in Alamo when he's not working abroad, was abducted earlier this month by a militant group calling itself the Shura Council of the Mujahedeen of Iraq.

Australia's mufti, Sheik Taj El Din al-Hilaly, flew to Iraq to negotiate his release and last week reported having a telephone conversation with an Australian he believed to be Wood who said he was well.

The sheik has offered to swap places with Wood, who suffers from a serious heart condition, in a statement expected to be broadcast on Middle Eastern television, spokesman Keysar Trad said.

For the mufti of Australia to make that offer — its certainly a very attractive offer to any group, to hold a very prominent person and let their captive free so he can seek medical treatment, Trad told Nine Network television.

They promised to set him free before without these conditions but the muftis now trying to force their hand and trying to get them to make a move and release Mr. Wood, he said.

...Ikebal Patel, treasurer of the Muslim group Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, said the sheik was not concerned for his safety in becoming a hostage.

He is very respected in the Middle, Patel told Nine Network. He has done a lot of good work in the last two weeks in Iraq and we feel that that will carry him through.
____________________________

Clearly, negotiating with the Shura Council of the Mujahideen of Iraq is a difficult task.

As they play their games, a civilian and his loved ones suffer.

The Wood family has offered to give the group holding Mr. Wood a generous charitable contribution to help the Iraqi people.

A Muslim cleric has offered himself up to take the place of the ailing Mr. Wood.

Isn't that more than enough?

Do these terrorists really think they are helping their cause? I don't get their logic. That's most likely because they aren't using any.