Islamist praises Somali pirates as "Godsend"

Last Friday, Somalia Islamist leader Sheikh Hassan Abdullahi Hersi praised the pirates that attacked Western ships and took hostages last week, calling the young men "a blessing for this land" and "a Godsend lot to give foreigners a hard time."

Despite the kind words, the sheikh expressed regret that the pirates "are not religiously motivated but driven by greed" and will, therefore, "miss Allah's mercy". In other words, Allah won't be granting the three dead hijackers those coveted 72 virgins.