Peter Kassig: Idealistic Aid Worker Who Converted to Islam in Captivity

Mr Kassig had founded his own relief group, delivering
medical aid in conflict zones

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Parents of former US Army Ranger, the latest Western hostage to be threatened with murder by Isil extremists, says "Our hearts ache for you to be granted your freedom"

Peter Kassig, the latest hostage to be threatened with murder by Islamist extremists, is an American veteran who served in Iraq and whose decision to convert to Islam in captivity has so far failed to save his life.

Mr Kassig, 26, is shown kneeling on the ground in an orange jumpsuit at the end of footage showing the murder of Alan Henning, a British aid worker.

A masked member of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) says he will become the fifth Westerner to be killed if the US-led coalition does not halt its bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria.

Yet like Mr Henning, who was kidnapped delivering aid to Syrians, Mr Kassig's path to the Middle East suggests Isil's propaganda machine will have to to gloss over his humanitarian work in the region. And it will also have to contend with his desire to learn more about the Middle East and conversion to Islam. » | Rob Crilly, New York, and Josie Ensor | Saturday, October 04, 2014