A Correction and a Clarification:
I notice in the article titled " As Algeria Hostage Crisis Goes On, U.S. Says American Died " in last Friday's paper, you mention that the kidnappers demanded the release of a prisoner name Aafia Siddiqui, who you assert was convicted of shooting two US Soldiers. I have two concerns with this report. The first is that it is inaccurate. Dr. Siddiqui was convicted of shooting at American soldiers. She was convicted despite the fact that there was no physical evidence that she had done so, no fingerprints on the gun, no bullet casings or holes and no one was shot (except for Siddiqui).
Secondly, I want to point out that in some instances Muslim extremists have taken up Siddiqui's case, not because she is one of them, but because her family's crusade to free her has made her a cause célèbre in her home country of Pakistan and in the Muslim world at large.
Thak you Judith Bello
Even though NY Times did not publish your letter, it apparently did get someone to do some checking and issue a mild correction. Judy your effort did make a difference.
It is still not accurate, but given the court record, I suppose this is an improvement. The point is that if people do write fact based corrections, eventually someone does notice.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/pageoneplus/corrections-january-23-2013.html?_r=0