U.S. Muslims condemn Yemen attack

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- U.S.-based Muslim advocacy groups and individuals Tuesday condemned the attack on American medical workers in Yemen that left three people dead.

They urged the Yemeni authorities to catch the culprits and give them exemplary punishment.

"We condemn this heinous attack and all other attacks on innocent civilians by any individuals, groups or states," said a statement issued by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group.

"This attack is of particular concern because it apparently targeted those engaged in meeting the medical needs of ordinary Yemenis," the statement said.

"This is very unfortunate. People should never take their vendetta against civilians," said Faiz Rehman, director communications for the American Muslim Council, an umbrella organization with branches all over the country. "These people were there for a noble cause. As Muslims we condemn such attacks."

Faiz said that Islam guarantees religious freedom for all, and in a Muslim country, it is the duty of the government to protect non-Muslim minorities.

Three Americans were killed Monday when a religious extremist allegedly attacked a Baptist hospital in Jibla, a small town about 100 miles south of the Yemeni Capital, Sana'a.

The victims were identified as the hospital's administrator William Koehn, 60, of Arlington, Texas; obstetrician, Dr. Martha Miers, 57, of Montgomery, Ala., and 53-year-old Kathleen Gariety, the hospital's purchasing agent, who comes from Wauwatosa, Wis.

Pharmacist Donald Caswell underwent surgery to remove bullets from his abdomen, but was said Tuesday to be recovering.

Yemeni security authorities said later they had apprehended Abid Abdulrazzaq al Kamil, 35, in connection with the shooting. Police said he was a former student of Yemen's Al Iman University, which was briefly closed last year after allegations that it was a hotbed of Islamic militancy.

"We appreciate that the Yemeni authorities have arrested a suspect but the investigation should not stop here," said Ahmad Saleh, a Muslim American of Eritrean origin who works at a grocery store in Washington.

"They should arrest all those involved in terrorist attacks and give them exemplary punishment because such people are giving a bad name to a good religion," said Saleh.

Hussam Abdullah, a Yemeni living in Virginia, however, warned Christian missionaries working in the Muslim world to "be more careful."

"While they have every right to preach their faith, they must also realize that since the U.S. attack on Afghanistan, there has been a sudden increase in anti-American and anti-West feelings in the Islamic world," he said.

"As Americans or Westerners, these missionaries become a sitting target for the extremists," he added.