Islamic State hostage Peter Kassig a convert to islam

Will his conversion stave off the inevitable beheading?  Muslims violate tenets of Islam when they kill one of their own.  There are extenuating circumstances but on the whole it is forbidden to kill believers.  Peter Kassigs conversion may have been an attempt to save his own life by assuming that if he converted he would be spared.  Most likely he will be killed, as he will always be seen as suspect, a possible spy for the Americans and not to ever be fully trusted.

From The Daily Mail October 4 by Chris Spargo

'I believe in hopeless causes': American ISIS captive Peter Kassig described how he felt a calling to help wounded Syrian refugees - just one year before he was captured by Islamic militants and became a Muslim

American war vet-turned-aid-worker Peter Kassig talked about his hopes and dreams, and what motivated him to return to the Middle East as a medical worker, in an inspiring 2012 profile.

Sitting down with CNN Senior International Correspondent Arwa Damon, the Indianapolis, Indiana, native referred to himself as a 'hopeless romantic' and 'idealist,' eager to do as much as he could with his life.

The 26-year-old has been held captive by ISIS for the past year, and the terrorist organization is now threatening to kill him in response to increased attacks on the group by the United States.

'The way I saw it, I didn't have a choice. This is what I was put here to do,' the young man told CNN of his decision to travel to Beirut and help Syrian refugees fleeing to Lebanon.

He then added, 'I guess I am just a hopeless romantic, and I am an idealist, and I believe in hopeless causes.'

A member of the U.S. Army Rangers, he was deployed to Iraq in 2007 and honorably discharged for medical reasons after a brief tour.

After returning home however, and studying political science at Butler University in Indiana, something felt off the Kassig.

'I was going to school with kids who look the same, were the same age as me, but we weren't the same,' he said.

'I wanted more of a challenge, a sense of purpose.'

(.) U.S. officials confirmed yesterday that Kassig was being held by Islamic State militants but declined to give any more details of his capture.

His family said in a statement that they have stayed silent about this news 'at the wish of those who have held their son.'

They also revealed that their son had converted to Islam while being held hostage.

Stockholm Syndrome?

Former hostages told the family that Kassig's new faith has given him comfort during his long captivity.

Maybe Islam will comfort him as his head is being sawed off.

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