"They were seized by a terrorist group who threatened to behead them because they thought the crosses on the water and food containers meant the men were Christian missionaries," said Mr. Hakki, who made his plea during a visit last week to ICRC headquarters in Geneva. He said the terrorists seemed unmoved by the fact that the two trucks themselves were marked with the red crescent symbol typically used in Muslim countries.

The four men then were hauled in front of an impromptu court headed by a long-bearded Algerian. In a series of frantic calls from their satellite phones, the drivers were able to reach Red Crescent officials, who enlisted the support of a local tribal leader.

The men eventually were released, although the insurgents kept the trucks and their contents.

"We know the trucks were sold in an illegal market in Sulaymaniya, northern Iraq," said Mr. Hakki, who said he hopes to recover them through the assistance of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd.

So spare me all that rhetoric and politically correct propaganda about Islamic peace and tolerance for non-Muslims, the four aid workers were almost beheaded just because they were thought to be Christian missionaries while delivering relief supplies with the international symbol of the Red Cross.