The latest video released on Sunday, Nov.16th by ISIL shows yet another murder committed by the Islamic State in the name of their “Revolution”. This time the victim is Peter Kassig, a U.S. soldier who has participated in the Iraq war against the Muslims.
President Obama Condemns The Islamic State
Even thought threats on Peter Kassig’s life have been made in the past and other videos have been unconfirmed, it is not the case now. The U.S. President, Barack Obama has condemned the cruel act conducted by the Islamic State as “Pure Evil” in a statement made from the Air Force One:
Today we offer our prayers and condolences to the parents and family of Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known to us as Peter. We cannot begin to imagine their anguish at this painful time.
Abdul-Rahman was taken from us in an act of pure evil by a terrorist group that the world rightly associates with inhumanity. Like Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff before him, his life and deeds stand in stark contrast to everything that ISIL represents. While ISIL revels in the slaughter of innocents, including Muslims, and is bent only on sowing death and destruction, Abdul-Rahman was a humanitarian who worked to save the lives of Syrians injured and dispossessed by the Syrian conflict. While ISIL exploits the tragedy in Syria to advance their own selfish aims, Abdul-Rahman was so moved by the anguish and suffering of Syrian civilians that he traveled to Lebanon to work in a hospital treating refugees. Later, he established an aid group, SERA, to provide assistance to Syrian refugees and displaced persons in Lebanon and Syria. These were the selfless acts of an individual who cared deeply about the plight of the Syrian people.
ISIL’s actions represent no faith, least of all the Muslim faith which Abdul-Rahman adopted as his own. Today we grieve together, yet we also recall that the indomitable spirit of goodness and perseverance that burned so brightly in Abdul-Rahman Kassig, and which binds humanity together, ultimately is the light that will prevail over the darkness of ISIL.
Changes in ISIL’s Operation
As this is not the first act of cruelty coming from ISIL, differences can be observed, compared to the other videos posted by them. Unlike the previous murders, which have shown the beheading of victims, this time the video shows only the head of Peter Kassig at the feet of “Jihadi John”, an ISIL militant named like this by the British Media.
Until now he is seemingly the author of 6 murders, including the one of Peter Kassig. His statement during the video is: “This is Peter Edward Kassig, a U.S. citizen of your country. Peter, who fought against the Muslims in Iraq while serving as a soldier under the American Army, doesn’t have much to say. His previous cellmates have already spoken on his behalf,[…]You claim to have withdrawn from Iraq four years ago. We said to you then that you are liars.”
Peter Kassig: A Warm Heart Until the End
What is most surprising, is that the killing came after Peter Kassig had converted to Islam, taking the name of Abdul-Rahman. A letter to his parents demonstrated, if his work of love and help in Syria had not done it already, the true loving, caring and forgiving nature of Peter Kassig: “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.”
The loss of another human soul, of a warm heart that left his family and friend in order to help out strangers is another tragedy. No matter how Peter Kassig died and even if his murderers need to face justice, it is important for all of us who stay at home, in the warmth of our beds that souls still exist; kindness is at the reach of your hand and on the tip of your lips. If only everyone saw this…
P.S. For those of you who want to see the video, it right here
