David Haines' Brother Slams 'Religious Radicalisation'
David Haines' brother, Mike Haines, has posted a video regarding David's murder and "growing religious radicalisation," according to Daily Mail. In a choking voice, he read out: "Since good and evil cannot be equal, repel thou evil with something that is better."
He added that his brother's murder had nothing to do with the Muslim faith and that it was also not the fault of the people who had a Middle Eastern origin.
He said that radicalization touches every aspect of life and is not related to any particular race or religion. It is a "human issue," said Mike Haines to British media on Sunday via The Guardian.
David, an aid worker, had been kidnapped in Syria in March 2013. Last Saturday, Islamic State or ISIL released the video of his beheading. Mike said that ISIL are extremely dangerous, posing a threat to everyone, and British jihadists who come back to their country should be prepared to face the consequences.
Earlier, Mike had written about David, calling him "most alive" when doing aid work. The statement was released by UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office on behalf of the family. Prime Minister David Cameron on Sunday had called David a British hero and had threatened to chase the murderers, who according to him were not Muslims, but monsters.
Recalling his brother, Mike said that David was just another bloke, born in 1970. Their childhood was centered around the family, he said. They had holidayed together in caravans and tents. They were taught carefully to differentiate right from wrong, though they may not have always chosen right due to their childish innocence.
According to Mike, his brother had joined the Royal Mail initially, then became an aircraft engineer when he joined the RAF. After marrying his old childhood girlfriend, Louise, he got a daughter, Bethany. After 12 years in the RAF, he became a security adviser and manager for NGOs in a few conflict-ridden areas such as Libya, the former Yugoslavia and South Sudan. He had been with the U.N. in the Balkans. He had the reputation for always helping people. That was the time that he decided to go into humanitarian work. He joined Scotrail and married Dragana and had a four-year-old daughter Athea. They lived in his Croatian home at Sisak, 60 kilometres southwest of Zagreb.
David's joy and anticipation for the work is still a very significant part of the memories of his brother through the sad affair, said Mike. "He was and is loved by all his family and will be missed terribly."
Oh hindsight, while David on the one hand called ISIL "extremely dangerous" and radicalisation the biggest threat to the safety of every person, he also seemed to be groping for a solution when he said: "My first reaction could be one of hatred but my brother's life wasn't about hatred, it was about love." It is not clear how he plans to cope with the grief, but he still expressed his appreciation of his brother's humanitarian side.