At a waiting room in theUm al-Qura mosque, a grandiose structure on the outskirts of Baghdad whose four minarets spire into the shape of Scud missiles, two elderly women in black robes wait for an appointment.

They have come for news of their sons, who were kidnapped last week in Baghdad, and in hopes of negotiating their release. They have come to this mosque because it is known as the place to deal for hostages' lives. It is known, more broadly, as the place to come to reach the ear of the many shadowy, faceless groups that collectively fight Iraq's insurgency.