Washington Post apologised for calling ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ‘austere religious scholar’ after he blew himself up after the US forces surrounded him
Bengaluru: After facing massive flak for hailing ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who killed himself after US forces surrounded him, as “austere religious scholar”.
In fact, even Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the BJP Rajya Sabha MP also tweeted his reactions on the issue, calling it #MoralOfTheStory
When a venerated news brand (albeit under new mgmnt) tries to get too cute n “neutral” wth serious issues like Terror (or bcoz u hv a thing abt ur President) - it will ALWAYS end up saying stupid things https://t.co/k8XhIn7u4G
The leader also urged everyone to take a stand against terrorism.
Take a damn stand against Terrorism. Theres no politically correct, Left Liberal, bull shit middle ground whn it comes to Terrorism - stand up to it n stop obfuscating https://t.co/zFftvfqcVO
Twitterati did not mince words in criticising the newspaper’s editorial policy to replace the word “terrorist” with “austere religions scholar”.
The article’s original headline described Baghdadi as the “Islamic State’s terrorist-in-Chief” before it was changed to call him a "scholar" instead.
Under pressure for the goof-up, Washington Post spokesperson Kristine Coratti Kelly later tweeted that the headline “should never have read that way and we changed it quickly”.
Regarding our al-Baghdadi obituary, the headline should never have read that way and we changed it quickly.
— Kristine Coratti Kelly (@kriscoratti)
Interestingly, the obituary itself said of the world's most wanted fugitive: “The man who would become the founding leader of the world’s most brutal terrorist group spent his early adult years as an obscure academic, aiming for a quiet life as a professor of Islamic law.”
Announcing the jihadi’s demise, Donald Trump said Baghdadi "died like a dog" when he blew himself up in a tunnel when cornered by US special forces.
The President said the ISIS chief – who became the world’s most wanted man – died "crying, whimpering and screaming and bringing three kids with him".
“A brutal killer, one who caused so much hardship and death, has been violently eliminated…he will never again harm another innocent man, woman or child," said Trump.
World leaders reacted on the issue thus:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said al-Baghdadi's killing "marked a turning point in our joint fight against terrorism."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labelled the event as an "impressive achievement."
However, Iran’s reaction on the issue was a lot different. Its information minister, Mohammed Javad Azari-Jahromi said the “US had killed its own creature” adding “it was not a big deal.”
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.