An Army Ranger-turned-aid worker held hostage by
ISIS militants in Syria admitted to his parents he was “pretty scared to die”
but also urged them to “seek refuge and comfort” from his humanitarian work.
Abdul-Rahman Kassig — who was born
Peter but changed his name when he converted to Islam last year — wrote in a
letter received by his parents on June 2 he was “praying every day” in
captivity but was “not angry.” He added: “I am in a dogmatically complicated
situation here, but I am at peace with my belief.”
Excerpts from his heartfelt letter
were released in a statement late Sunday by his
parents, Ed and Paula Kassig of Indianapolis, explaining
how their 26-year-old son had traveled to Lebanon work as a medic before making
a “spiritual journey” to become a Muslim. “We feel a need to more fully tell
that story to the world,” the statement said.
After serving with the military in
Iraq, Kassig founded a humanitarian organization to help refugees fleeing the
conflict in Syria. Kassig was undertaking a project for Special Emergency
Response and Assistance (SERA) when he was captured Oct. 1, 2013, on
his way to Deir Ezzour in eastern Syria, according to his family.
“I am very sad that all this has
happened and for what all of you back home are going through," Kassig
wrote to his parents. "If I do die, I figure that at least you and I can
seek refuge and comfort in knowing that I went out as a result of trying to
alleviate suffering and helping those in need." Kassig added that he was
“deeply grateful” to his parents for their love. "Just know I'm with
you," he wrote. "Every stream, every lake, every field and river. In
the woods and in the hills, in all the places you showed me. I love you."
Kassig
Family via Reuters
Abdul-Rahman Kassig and his mother,
Paula Kassig, visit Cumberland Falls State Resort Park near Corbin, Kentucky,
during a family camping trip in 2000.
In their statement, his parents
said: "We ask the world to continue to pray for him and for all innocent
people harmed by violence and war."
Kassig was shown and threatened with
execution in an ISIS video released on Friday showing the beheading
of British aid worker Alan Henning, a 47-year-old former taxi driver.
No comments:
Post a Comment