Wood pleads for life before time runs out

CANBERRA - The family of Australian Douglas Wood, being held hostage in Iraq, pleaded for mercy before today's 7am deadline on his life as the leader of Australia's Muslims faces a battle against time to gain an extension.

Malcolm Wood said an email sent by his brother days before his capture showed him to be a frail, affectionate man who posed no threat.

"He is a normal, hard-working man with a family he loves deeply and from whom he should not be taken," Malcolm Wood said.

"The family again appeals to his captors to release Douglas unharmed."

The plea came as Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali, the Mufti of Australia, flew to Iraq to try to secure an extension to the deadline.

It has emerged that 63-year-old Wood's family has sent an offer of a "generous charitable donation" to the people of Iraq if he is freed.

The sheik was not due to land in Dubai until 8am NZ time, and he would have to travel from there by air and road to Baghdad.

Alhilali said before he left Sydney yesterday he hoped to get a 48-hour extension of the deadline from the kidnappers.

He had earlier pleaded for Wood's life in a message filmed in Sydney with Wood's brothers Malcolm and Vernon, and broadcast over the Arabic news channel al-Jazeera.

In an al-Jazeera broadcast at the weekend, Wood said he would be killed if Australia did not agree to withdraw its troops from Iraq by 7am today.

Prime Minister John Howard has repeatedly said Australia will not pull its troops out of Iraq.

Sheik Alhilali is expected to remain in Baghdad for several days and will work with the Australian hostage team sent to Iraq within a day of Wood's first plea for his life was broadcast.

The team, led by Foreign Affairs troubleshooter Nick Warner, is already working with tribal and religious leaders in a bid to secure Wood's release.

The new Iraqi Government, the United States, Britain, Italy, Turkey and a number of other countries are also helping with intelligence and advice drawn from earlier abductions.

Sheik Alhilali said: "It is our duty to help and pray for brother Douglas Wood and bring him home as soon as possible. We are going to Iraq to help our Australian brother. We feel for his family and we will do all the best to bring Douglas Wood home."

Appeals for Wood's freedom by his brothers and officials have focused on his family life, the humanitarian aspects of his work as an engineer, the fact that he operates his own small company rather than being an employee of a large US concern, and the value of his contracts to the reconstruction and quality of life in Iraq.

The email released by Wood's family shows he was working on projects for the benefit of the people, independent of the Government.

"I was doing OK in Baghdad, renovating a seven-storey building, but am having difficulty with rheumatoid arthritis and now my vision is only 10 per cent effective," the email says.

"Even typing this email requires me wearing reading glasses and squinting at the keyboard and screen (the hardest is finding the mouse pointer). However, I am having injections to the eyes, and I am told I will soon have my vision back."

Malcolm Wood said yesterday the offer of a donation was not a ransom.

"There has been no demand for a ransom. We would hope to make a significant gesture to help secure Douglas' release," he said.

"The family offers to make a generous charitable donation to help the people of Iraq."

Sheik Alhihali angered many Australians by appearing also to offer public support for militants in Iraq in a message to insurgents at the weekend.

"We value your jihad and your efforts and we call on you to do something for the community and all Australian society, which does not support Howard's pro-American policies," he said.

Criticism emerged yesterday after translator Keysar Trad told ABC Radio that although he would have used the term jihad (holy war) to win favour with Wood's abductors, Sheik Alhilali had gone too far.

"He has used language that is not consistent with our expectations as Australians," he said.

The president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Amir Ali, said the word "jihad" was misunderstood and referred to a war of self-defence.

- additional reporting AAP