The brother of the British aid worker beheaded by the terror group ISIS, said on Sunday that religion wasn't responsible for the actions of ISIS, or the death of his brother, David Haines.
"The Muslim faith is not to blame for ISIL (ISIS), nor is it the fault or people of Middle Eastern descent," said Mike Haines. While the Haines family doesn't practice a specific religion, he said, they "stand with our arms open to welcome those of any faith." Haines said his brother was passionate about helping people of any creed, race or religion.
"To my limited knowledge, Islam is about peace, it's about love," said Haines, who read two passages from the Quran, both of which encourage goodness over evil. He closed his statement with a verse that says, "never let hatred of anyone lead you into the sin of deviating from justice."
"ISIL are not about religion, they're about terror," Haines said.
IN-DEPTH
- Family of David Haines: He 'Will Be Missed Terribly'
- ISIS Extremists Claim to Behead British Hostage David Haines
- Will ISIS Beheading of David Haines Spur Britain to Conduct Airstrikes?
— Elisha Fieldstadt