Peter Kassig's Parents Speak Out; ISIS Victim's Mother and Father Say 'The One God of Many Names Will Prevail'
The parents of Abdul-Rahman Kassig, an aide worker beheaded by ISIS, issued a statement on Monday calling for forgiveness and prayers for their family.
"Our hearts are battered, but they will mend. The world is broken, but it will be healed in the end," Paula Kassig, mother of Peter Abdul-Rahman Kassig, told the public in a press conference at her church in Indianapolis. "And good will prevail as the one God of many names will prevail."
The younger Kassig, 26, was captured by the terrorist organization in 2013 while on his way to Syria. During his captivity, he converted to Islam and took on the name Abdul-Rahman. He reportedly helped those in the area before being taken hostage. After leaving the army in 2007 due to medical reasons, he realized he wanted to do more.
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"I was going to school with kids who look the same, were the same age as me, but we weren't the same," he told CNN in 2012. "I wanted more of a challenge, a sense of purpose. I am not a doctor. I am not a nurse, but I am a guy who can clean up bandages, help clean up patients, swap out bandages, help run IVs, make people's quality of life a little bit better. This is something for me that has meaning, that has purpose."
He formed the nonprofit agency, the Special Emergency Response and Assistance, to help whomever needed it in Syria. As a former army ranger, Kassig was used to being in danger and knew how to handle himself. But he was willing to sacrifice it all for those who needed him.
"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," he wrote to his parents.
"There's this impression, this belief that there is no hope," Kassig told CNN. "That's when it's more important than ever, against all odds, to try to do something."
Kassig's father, Ed, asked for prayers for his son and "all the people in Syria, in Iraq, and around the world that are held against their will. And lastly, please allow our small family the time and privacy to mourn, cry — and yes, forgive — and begin to heal."
