Daughter of Scots aid worker beheaded by ISIS pays tribute 10 years on
THE daughter of a British aid worker murdered by so-called Islamic State terrorists has remembered him as a caring man who “loved life” at a memorial service to mark 10 years since his death.
Bethany Haines said her father David Haines would not want to be remembered as “the man in the orange jumpsuit” but as someone who loved his family.
Friends and family gathered in Perth for the service, which Ms Haines organised to celebrate the life of her father and to remember all other hostages.
Mr Haines, from Perth, was captured by militants in Syria in March 2013 while delivering aid to the war-torn country.
The father of two was beheaded in 2014 after being held by a terrorist cell dubbed “The Beatles” because of their English accents.
Footage of Mr Haines’ murder was posted online. His remains have never been discovered.
Speaking at the service on Sunday Ms Haines said: “It’s hard to believe it is 10 years since my world was shattered and I had to accept that I was never going to see my dad again.
“It has been a long and hard 10 years with many ups and downs. The pain has never gone away and probably never will but I learned to cope with it and channel my energies into positive things.”
It’s hard to believe it is 10 years since my world was shattered and I had to accept that I was never going to see my dad again
Bethany Haines
Ms Haines said she was inspired by a brother and sister she met on a trip to Syria in 2019 who had witnessed the massacre of several members of their family in their home but had created something positive by turning their living room into a library and community hub.
She said: “This inspired me to keep living my life to the best and enjoying myself, that’s exactly what my dad would want me to do.
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“He would not want to be remembered as the man in the orange jumpsuit, he would want to be remembered as the man who loved his family, who was generous, who wanted to help in any way he could and who loved life.”
She described her father as “strong, kind and caring” and said he would have loved becoming a grandfather and spending time with her son.
Ms Haines also stressed that her father’s death was not about religion but was due to “bad men doing bad things”.
The service also paid tribute to six other hostages who suffered similar fates to Mr Haines: aid workers Alan Henning, Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig and journalists James Foley, Steven Sotloff and John Cantlie.
A slide show featuring photographs of them and Mr Haines was played during the service at Perth Congregational Church.
It has been a long and hard 10 years... The pain has never gone away and probably never will
Bethany Haines
Minister Gordon Campbell, who led the service, said: “We are here to remember David and all the other hostages and it’s important that we do so.”
He referred to testimonies from other former hostages who spent time in captivity with Mr Haines and spoke highly of him.
Mr Campbell said: “In the most difficult of circumstances David was supporting others, mediating in disputes, keeping spirits up and being strong for others.”
TOUCHING TRIBUTE
THE daughter of a Scots aid worker murdered by IS in Syria has had herself tattooed with her dad’s “three rules to survive” — in his handwriting.
Bethany is paying tribute to David with the advice he gave fellow hostages before his beheading in 2014 was filmed and released as propaganda footage by the evil terrorist group.
She said: “I’d known my dad said these three rules to other hostages on how to survive in captivity.
“He’d previously had military training, and they stuck out to me. Since he told them, I kind of live by that.
“It made sense to get them on my leg to remind me to live that way and commemorate him.
“My dad had always said to stand up and say what you think and fight for what you believe.”
The tattoo reads, ‘The three rules to survive: Always tell the truth. Get into a routine. Play the game’.
Teaching assistant student Bethany added: “It’s in his handwriting. I found old Christmas cards, and emailed tattoo artists. It came out so well.”
Two British nationals, El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey, are serving life in US jails for their involvement in the plot to kill hostages.
A third man, Mohammed Emwazi, dubbed Jihadi John, who was believed to have featured in shocking videos of IS beheadings of a number of captives, was killed in a drone strike in 2015.
Ms Haines thanked those who have supported her over the past decade, including the families of other hostages, the US government and the charity Hostage International.
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She hopes the service will help raise money for Hostage International and donations can be made through a JustGiving page.
Anyone looking to donate to the page can do so .