The parents of captured American Abdul-Rahmen (formerly Peter) Kassig released a statement Sunday night.
In the statement, his parents Ed and Paula Kassig release portions of a letter the Indianapolis native sent to them in June while in captivity.
“I am obviously pretty scared to die but the hardest part is not knowing, wondering, hoping, and wondering if I should even hope at all,” Kassig wrote. “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 statement is also a way for his parents to explain more about their son’s conversion to Islam, a journey which they say began for him before his capture by Islamic militants.
Kassig’s journey to Islam began when he observed the month-long Ramadan fast in July-August 2013, prior to his capture in October 2013, according to the Kassigs. Working alongside Syrian Muslims before his capture also had an effect on his eventual decision to convert.
A former hostage also told the family that Kassig voluntarily converted to Islam shortly after his capture — sometime between October and December 2013 — after sharing a cell with a devout Syrian Muslim. His June letter describes his daily prayer, describing his situation as “dogmatically complicated” — an obvious reference to his being held hostage by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
Kassig, 26, was captured on Oct. 1, 2013, on his way to Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria. He was in the Middle East through a nongovernmental organization, Special Emergency Response and Assistance, aiding those displaced by the Syrian civil war.
“We each get one life and that’s it. We get one shot at this and we don’t get any do-overs, and for me, it was time to put up or shut up,” Kassig told CNN of his work in a 2012 interview.
Kassig made an appearance at the end of the most recent Islamic State video Friday, which claimed to show the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning. At the video’s conclusion, Kassig is identified before the masked terrorist threatens he will be next victim if the U.S.-led bombing campaign against the extremist group is not stopped.
“We ask the world to continue to pray for him and for all innocent people harmed by violence and war. We continue to pressure the government to stop its actions and continue to call on his captors to have mercy and release him,” the family said.
At the conclusion of Kassig’s letter home, he writes: “Just know I’m with you. 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.”
The statement, along with two family photos, was released via the family’s Twitter account late Sunday night.
