RNA - More than 200 people gathered at a Fishers mosque during Friday prayers to comfort the family of Abdul Rahman Kassig, the Indianapolis native killed by Islamic militants. The gathering included a prominent Syrian cleric, who told Kassig’s parents their son is a hero to the Syrian people.
Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi, the former Imam of the Grand Mosque in Damascus, was asked by Ed and Paula Kassig to speak at Friday’s prayer service. Shaykh al-Yaqoubi, who was exiled from Syria by the Assad regime and now lives in Washington, D.C., is regarded as one of the world’s most influential Muslim scholars.
Much of his 30-minute sermon was aimed at Kassig’s family, who sat silently inside the mosque during Friday prayers. A traditional Islamic funeral prayer, normally conducted over the body of a fallen Muslim just before burial, was offered by al-Yaqoubi following the sermon.
The Shaykh’s message condemned Kassig’s death at the hands of ISIS in no uncertain terms, calling his beheading “barbaric and beyond comprehension.”
“But, it is not Islam. It is directly contradicted by the teachings of Islam. This is terrorism,” he said, raising his voice.
By contrast, Kassig served as an example of the pillars of Islam, al-Yaqoubi continued.
“One of our brothers risked his life to better the Syrian people. Abdul-Rahman did not accept oppression. That pushed him to help the Syrian people. Ed and Paula, your son will be remembered by the Syrian people forever. And he will be honored as a hero by 1.5 billion Muslims around the world,” he said.
It’s an honor that’s already being expressed by Muslims across Central Indiana.
“We view him as a Hoosier hero,” said Dr. Shaker Rashid, the Imam of the al Huda Foundation Mosque, which hosted Friday’s memorial service. “It’s really shameful. The Muslim community here in Fishers, we feel devastated hearing about this senseless killing. That’s why a month ago, we appealed to this human part of [ISIS]. If they stand for what they claim, why did they kill him?”
It was a question weighing on the minds of many at Friday’s service, including those who had never met Kassig. That included Caleb Pine, who made a three-hour drive from South Bend to honor Kassig’s memory.
“It was truly inspiring to see Peter Kassig’s story, because he’s a role model for me,” said Pine, who is studying Arabic at the University of Notre Dame. “It was really important to have the opportunity to come down and participate. It’s so easy to think of these divisions between people and these cultural identities as something that separates us, rather than brings us together. But, the call to love and serve I heard, I think, is something that’s really powerful.”
Kassig’s service will live on beyond his death, the Shaykh said, because he helped train more than 100 others on the front lines in Syria in critical emergency medical techniques. That legacy will never be forgotten by those he chose to serve, al-Yaqoubi said.
“When they see American people like Peter coming to their aid, to their help, offering their lives, taking every risk–when he went there, he knew there all these risks. But, he went against all odds showing every type of bravery. This is why he’ll be remembered,” he said following the memorial service.
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