Mother of ISIS hostage Kassig begs for her son’s life

Peter Kassig’s mother, now known as Abdul Rahman Kassig, after converting to Islam has sent a message to ISIS, desperately asking for answers regarding her son. Paula Kassig posted the tweet on Thursday, on behalf of her family saying: ” We have tried to contact you directly to plea for the life of our only son, Abdul Rahman Kassig, and have not received any response”. She requested instructions from the extremist organization: “Please tell us what more we can do so that Abdul Rahman may continue to serve and live his life in accordance with the laws of Islam”. Peter Kassig has been a captive since October 2013. According to his family, he was detained on his way to Deir Ezzor, in Syria.

ISIS has released shocking videos in the past few months. The videos depict in great detail the beheading of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and British aid workers Alan Henning and David Haines. In the last video released by ISIS, the terrorist threaten to kill Peter Kassig next. This message determined his parents to plea for his life. Since October 2013, when Peter Kassig was captured, his parents kept silent about the incident. His parents said: “We ask everyone around the world to pray for the Henning family, for our son, and for the release of all innocent people being held hostage in the Middle East and around the globe”. The very next day after the video message had been released, Kassig’s parents pleaded the members of ISIS to release their son. They also posted a video on YouTube, desperately asking the group to use their power and let their son go free.

Peter Kassig’s mother, Paula Kassig posted a tweet in which she asked ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi for information about her son. She wrote: “I am an old woman, and Abdul Rahman is my only child. My husband and I are on our own, with no help from the government. We would like to talk to you. How can we reach you?”. Peter Kassig had served in the US Army in Iraq. Later, he returned as a medical worker. In an interview from 2012, Kassig said: “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”. Peter Kassig joined the US Army in 2006. One year later he was sent to Iraq. He was honorably discharged because of medical issues. After he returned to the United States he got married, then he got divorced and decided to return to the Middle East in order to help victims of the war. Kassig was the founder of a non-profit organization which provided first response humanitarian aid to refugees in Syria. The organization was based in Turkey.