Omar called about 30 young men under his influence. Armed with just 16 rifles, Omar and his followers raided the warlord's camp and set the girls free. Soon afterwards the warlord paid for his crimes with his neck, hanged from the barrel of a tank.

Omar is Mullah Omar, the supreme commander of the Taliban, an armed political force in Afghanistan. The young men who followed him and rescued the girls were the Taliban.

Thirteen years later, where is this heroic Omar and the Taliban who rescued the girls from their kidnappers? Twenty-three Korean aid workers, including 18 women, were kidnapped by the Taliban, who claim to be dedicated to "protecting and respecting women."

Cross the Afghan border into Pakistan and you'll find local madrasas, religious schools, in every nook and corner. Run by Afghan imams and Pakistani Islamic fundamentalists, these schools turn young men in their teens and 20s into Taliban warriors. Here, students learn about the Koran, hadith or oral traditions of Muhammad, Sharia or Islamic law, and jihad.

Jihad literally means to "struggle." According to the Koran and hadith, Muslims regard the struggle within themselves as the greatest Islamic jihad. It is very important to try to rectify your own evil ways and overcome difficulties to secure mental and moral maturity.

Taliban, read Chapter 5, Verse 32 of the Koran you so highly value. "If anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land -- it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind."

Mullah Omar, this allegedly mild and pure-minded leader, must be reminded of the words of Muhammad. "Do not kill women or children or noncombatants and do not kill old people. Verily there are heavenly rewards for any act of kindness to a live animal." Isn't that what he said?

The word "Islam" comes from the word "salaam," meaning peace. Muslims say that Islam is a religion of peace, that it teaches its followers to maintain and promote peace all over the world. Taliban, allow the hostages "salaam" now. If you kill any more innocent lives, you will be disowned by your Muslim brothers, as well as people around the world.

Setting "final deadlines" for the release of the hostages, you have caused great worry to many people, including the hostages and their families. By repeatedly extending your "final deadlines," you end up telling lies. You try to justify your actions with twisted logic, while killing innocent humans as if you were killing flies. When did Muhammad teach you to tell lies? Did he teach you that any means justifies your goals?

When God created the world, he found a trash heap that couldn't be used for anything useful, so he threw it down to the earth and turned into Afghanistan, a story goes. Afghanistan is such a desolate and forlorn land. Taliban, grant "salaam" to the innocent young people who arrived in the most barren land in the world to help it become a land of peace.

This column was contributed by Yeo See-dong from the Chosun Ilbo's International Desk.