The headline at news.com.au reads: Shiites denounce al-Qaeda terror.

More wishful media thinking.

Dig into the piece a little and you’ll find not one iota of real empathy for the victims of these brutal murders—just plenty of whining about “US policies” and the “harm to Islam’s reputation.”

On Sadr’s behalf Sheikh Khafaji also denounced the beheading of American hostage Paul Johnson by Islamists in Saudi Arabia, saying the execution had cast a slur on Islam’s reputation.

However, he also blamed the “wrong policy” of US President George W. Bush for the execution, which brought condemnation from around the world after pictures of Johnson’s corpse were posted on Islamist websites.

“The beheading of an American hostage happened as a result of the wrong policy of the United States,” Sheikh Khafaji said.

“As to the kidnappers, I say you were so hasty in beheading the captive. It would have been better to postpone the execution. By beheading the hostage you inflicted harm on Islam’s reputation and caused troubles for Muslims living abroad. Anyhow, we denounce that ugly picture regardless of it being done against the Americans or those who committed the crime.”