Daily Times

Sir: It is extremely disturbing for the whole world to discover the brutal beheading of US journalist Steven Sotloff by a British man nicknamed Jihadi John belonging to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The video of the beheading of James Foley a couple of days ago included the threat of killing Steven Sotloff if US air strikes continued. The ethnic cleansing of Shias, Kurds, Yazidis and Christians by ISIS, as reported by Amnesty International, forced US involvement into the crisis to stop the massacre.
The barbaric killing of innocent people is neither moral nor Islamic when Muslims proclaim that Islam stands for peace, tolerance and humanity. The reports of seizing and raping Yazidi women are regrettable. ISIS cannot establish an Islamic state and a caliphate by their inhumane acts of brutality, ignoring the basic tenets of Islam. ISIS’s heinous crimes and atrocities are defaming Islam. My thoughts and prayers are with the deceased’s family, hoping that ISIS will refrain from killing any other journalist kidnapped and in their hands.
MOHAMMAD ASHRAF
Winnipeg,
Canada