A Letter From Alan Johnston To Shihab Al Tamimi

Alan Johnston, the former BBC's Gaza correspondent who has been kidnapped by a militant group in Gaza and stayed in captivity from March the 12th 2007 till July the 4th 2007, has sent me those words for our Precious martyr, the peer of Iraqi journalists Shihab Al Tamimi : " Every death in Iraq is an utter waste- a tragedy for those who loved the victim and a loss to the nation as a whole. But as a journalist I can't help but be particularly aware of the number of my Iraqi colleagues who have been among the casualities. Among those to die most recently was Shihab Al Tamimi. I was not familiar with his work, but I am reliably informed that he was a much respected figure who will be badly missed by his devoted readers. And I have no doubt that he was a man of real courage. Given the appalling number of deaths among his colleagues, he must have been extremely dedicated to going through about his work. One day Iraq will emerge from the horrors through which it is passing at the moment. But its recovery and eventual transformation into a something better will surely be hampered by the loss of Mr Al Tamimi and so many other fine, brave journalists. " . Those are the words of a very brave Scottish man to a very brave Iraqi man. May Allah bless your soul Shihab Al Tamimi. And Alan Johnston, my great Scottish hero, THANKS A MILLON from me and from my Iraq. With my love. Yours forever, Lubna.