Islamic group calls for reporter's release

CANTON, Mich., Jan. 19 (UPI) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations Thursday called for the release of a U.S. freelance reporter held by insurgents in Iraq.

Jill Carroll was kidnapped almost two weeks ago after she attempted to interview a Sunni leader. This week, her captors released a videotape that demanded the release of all Iraqi women detained by the United States.

The council held news conferences in Amman, Jordan, and in Canton, Mich. Carroll grew up in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the state is home to one of the largest Islamic-American communities.

"It's just unbelievable that any cause could be advanced by holding someone hostage, especially someone who's demonstrated an affinity for Islam and Arab culture," Dawud Walid, head of the council's Michigan branch, told the Detroit Free Press.

Two council members who traveled to Amman for the news conference planned to continue on to Baghdad to attempt to negotiate Carroll's release.