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'God didn't kill him, it was hate': Mother of journalist murdered by ISIS chooses forgiveness

by Anna Rees
diane foley .jpg - Banner image

The mother of a journalist murdered by ISIS says her Christian faith has been her strength in the aftermath of his brutal death.

In 2014, James Foley was killed by ISIS, and the footage shared across the world.

A decade on from his death, his mother, Diane Foley, has released her memoir: American Mother, and told CBN News that she felt “challenged by God” to channel her experiences into helping other families of hostages.

“Jim was a really optimistic kid,” she said: “[He] was … the kind of person who always for the good in others, expected the good. So I felt very challenged by my God and Jim, to be honest.”

She has since launched the Foley Foundation, which aims to highlight the rights of journalists worldwide and assist families of hostages with public advocacy.

“I really believe in a loving and merciful God," she said. 

"So I think my faith helped me. I knew that God didn’t kill him, that it was the hatred…it’s human beings. 

“When we hate one another, we’re all capable of horrible things and good, good things, and so, really, that was the hatred that fuels the radical jihadists.”

Foley told CBN that the US government initially gave her hope that her son’s release was a priority. Yet as Europeans also taken hostage were released, she felt her son’s cause was not being championed. It was only once the graphic video of his killing emerged that world leaders realised the extremes his captors were capable of.

Reflecting on the October 7th attacks, Foley says her own pain is reflected for the families of hostages: “It just brings it all back… the horror on a big public stage. We’re all watching the devastation of what war and hatred does.”

“The hatred that caused that attack, and now the revenge. It’s just heartbreaking.

“We need to be able to talk, and problem-solve with one another. I think part of the problem...it seems like, as our society has gotten more secular, I think we used to learn that in some of our faith traditions…taught to be kind, to listen, patient, love one another, all these challenges within faith communities.”

 

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