The @ICRC's strange booklet on how Muslims should treat hostages

Recently, the International Committee of the Red Cross released a perplexing document titled, "The Treatment of Detainees: From the Perspective of Islamic Law."

It lists 16 rules, most of which are derived from or somehow linked to Islamic sources, about how prisoners should be treated. The rules are:

Do not kill detainees

Treat detainees humanely at all times

Do not use detainees as human shields

Provide medical care to the detainees

Take detainees to a safe place after their capture

Feed and clothe the detainees

Allow the detainees to contact their families and receive visitors and messages

Do not publish the names and pictures of the detainees

Allow the detainees to practice their religion, without any compulsion

Detain women separately, with female guards

Hold children only where it is in their best interest

Release the detainees when the reasons for their detention cease to exist; or where the detaining party is unable to provide for their basic needs

Make a list of all detainees with their full name; date of birth; rank; service number; when and where they were captured; their state of health; and who is responsible for their detention.

Inform your superior when you take detainees.

Inform the ICRC about any detainees as soon as possible and allow the ICRC to visit the detainees and to speak to them in private

If a detainee dies, inform your superior, record how they died and where their remains are. If possible, inform their family and return their remains.

The choice of rules to highlight, and which ones not to mention (like the right to enslave or execute prisoners), makes it very clear that the ICRC curated this list to make it appear that they are supporting the Israeli hostages in Gaza. This isn't a list of Islamic rules - it is a list of ICRC-approved Islamic rules. 

Every single one of these rules has been violated by Hamas and at first glance this appears to be a way for the ICRC to shame Hamas into treating the hostages humanely.

Except, it isn't.

Usually when an organization releases a new publication, they want people to know about it. 

And yet....there was no press release. The ICRC did not even tweet about this booklet.  It's been out for two weeks, and there has been no media coverage. 

The book says things like:

The Qur’ān and the earliest Islamic historical literature (Sīrah) documented numerous examples of humane treatment that detainees received at the hands of the Companions of Prophet Muhammad. Follow these rules, make them known to your group, and report any violations to your superiors.

This makes it sound like the target audience is jihadists. Yet it is not available in Arabic or any other language that Islamists are likely to read.

So why was a booklet, ostensibly to teach Muslim hostage takers how they should act, published to begin with? It isn't a book for Muslims, it isn't a book for the human rights community, it isn't a book for the general public. 

It is hard to escape the idea that the ICRC does not want this booklet to be publicized. They can shame Hamas into treating the hostages well by pointing out that they are violating Sharia law - and they don't. They will issue press releases slamming Israel, but not against Hamas. 

The ICRC didn't publish this document to help the hostages. They did it so they can point to something when Jews complain about their inaction over the Gaza hostages. "Look! We published an entire book on Islam and detainee law!" they can say - when pushed. But they sore don't want anyone to read it, Muslims or not. 

It sure looks more performative than helpful. 

(h/t Irene)

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