[wanabidii] Fw: Journalist James Foley converted to Islam before his beheading by IS

Then the man slit Foley's throat and severed his head from his body. May God rest his soul.

On Saturday, November 1, 2014 11:29 PM, "ANS@Assist-Ministries.com" <ANS@Assist-Ministries.com> wrote:

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: assistnews@aol.com Saturday, November 1, 2014 Journalist James Foley converted to Islam before his beheading by IS By Mark Ellis Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (ANS) -- People worldwide were shocked and horrified last August when journalist James Foley was beheaded by a British-accented IS executioner as Foley kneeled resolutely against a barren backdrop of Syrian hills. What is less known is that Foley - along with many other Western hostages - converted to Islam during their captivity, which apparently meant little to their merciless captors. James Foley The behind-the-scenes story of his ordeal was documented by The New York Times through interviews with five former hostages, local witnesses, relatives and associates of the captives, and a group of advisers who made trips to the Middle East to attempt to free them. Some details were provided to The Times by a former member of IS who was originally housed in the prison where Foley was kept, and who provided additional details about his confinement. At least 23 foreign hostages from 12 countries have been kidnapped by Syrian insurgents, sold or handed over to IS, and held underground in a prison somewhere in proximity to the Syrian city of Raqqa. Foley was an American freelance journalist filing for GlobalPost and Agence France-Presse. He and his fellow hostages were often beaten and subjected to waterboarding, according to The Times. For months, they were starved and threatened with execution by one group of fighters, then transferred to another terrorist group that gave them improved treatment and even considered fre eing them. The prisoners played games to pass the time, but as conditions got worse they turned on each other. Foley converted to Islam soon after his capture and adopted the name Abu Hamza, according to The Times. His conversion was confirmed by three other recently released hostages, as well as by his former employer. "I recited the Quran with him," Jejoen Bontinck,19, of Belgium, told The Times. Bontinck spent three weeks in a cell with Foley. "Most people would say, 'Let's convert so that we can get better treatment.' But in his case, I think it was sincere." MORE     See all ASSIST News articles at www.assistnews.net Mark Ellis is a senior correspondent for ASSIST News Service and the founder of www.Godreports.com.  He is available to speak to groups about the plight of the church in restricted countries, to share stories and testimonies from the mission field, and to preach the gospel. mark@Godreports.com ** You may republish this story with proper attribution. Send this story to a friend. Note to our subscribers: It you really appreciate what we do through ANS and would like to make a donation to help us continue with this unique news service, you can do so in two ways. First, just go to our secure site at www.assistnews.net/assist/donations.htm, where you can sign up for a monthly gift or a one-off contribution (tax-deductible in the US). Second, if you prefer to send a check, just make it out to ASSIST, and mail it to ASSIST, PO Box, 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609, USA (also tax-deductible in the US). Thank you so much for caring! Dan Wooding ASSIST News Service is Sponsored By