The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
‘How I forgave my brother’ s killers’
The brother of murdered aid worker David Haines has told how he struggled to forgive the notorious terror cell killers who had a hold over his life for the last nine years.
Former Perth Academy pupil David died at the hands of the Islamic State terrorist group known as “The Beatles” in 2014.
The 44-year-old’s execution, filmed by his Syrian captors, sent shockwaves around the world.
His older brother Mike came face to face with IS “Beatle” Alexanda Kotey last month as he was jailed for life in the US for his role in the killing.
Mike, from Dundee, read out a powerful victim impact statement to the courtroom in Alexandria, Virginia and told Kotey and co-accused El Shafee Elsheikh – who also faces life in prison – that he had forgiven them.
RAF veteran Mike, who now leads the educational Global Acts of Unity campaign in his brother’s honour, has told how he struggled with his feelings about the men until the moment he saw them.
“It has been a long road with hate at one end and forgiveness at the other,” he said.
London-born Kotey was sentenced for his part in the murders of four US hostages, but relatives of other victims were invited to address the court.
Mike was one of several family members who read out statements, explaining how their lives had been affected by the terrorists.
Daughter Bethany Haines told the killers she still woke at night to her father’s screams.
“I expected that when I saw the two men I would feel hatred and anger,” said Mike, now home in Dundee. “But actually, when I walked into the court I felt nothing for them.”
He said: “I just wanted to shut the door on them.
“For so, so long, they have been part of my immediate family’s life.
“They have had a hold over me and I felt hatred for them at times.
“So when I looked at them and said ‘I forgive you’, I felt a weight lifting from my shoulders.
“It really did feel the right thing to do at the right time. There was no exaltation or feeling of revenge. It was just quiet, grim satisfaction.”
He said: “I could feel my brother beside me, saying: ‘Yes.’
“It felt like my father and mother, who have both passed, were there with me too. It was a family moment, a family decision.”
Mike said: “Since my brother’s murder, I have felt hate.
“And part of that has been that I hate the fact that I feel hate for the people that caused my brother’s murder.
“So even just minutes before I gave my impact statement, I was questioning whether it was the right thing to do and whether I could actually let go.
“I knew that they had a piece of me.”
He said: “Actually, it was most definitely the right thing to do.
“I felt that door closing and I knew they no longer had that hold over me.”
As Mike spoke in court, Kotey looked at the floor and blinked. Elsheikh showed no emotion.
At the end of the hearing, Mike thanked Kotey’s defence team.
He told them he was really pleased the terrorist’s legal, human and civil rights were being held to the highest degree.
“Although none of the charges related to David, it was a sense of vicarious justice,” he said.
“They are going to prison for a very long time and I’m very happy with that.
“They are not going to get the opportunity to spread their philosophy and twisted view of Islam. They are not going to be a danger to others.”
Mike is now touring schools and groups in the north of England, telling his brother’s story and sharing a message of unification and peace.
Global Acts of Unity, ineligible for government funding during lockdown, is in the process of becoming a charity.
Mike remains determined to keep sharing David’s story
The horrific and high profile death of David Haines nine years ago acted as a stark reminder of the lengths some will go to in a bid to support and promote their twisted ideologies.
Those responsible have at last been brought to justice and, remarkably, David’s brother Mike has found it in his heart to forgive.
It marks the final stage on what has been an extraordinary, long and painful road.
Mike, who leads the educational Global Acts of Unity campaign in his brother’s honour, has spoken candidly about the struggles he and his family have faced since 2013. And while many will find forgiveness hard to comprehend, it is clear the act brings with it a sense of closure. As Mike explains, he has certainly felt hate.
But in forgiving those responsible, he has found himself released from the hold they had over him ever since his brother’s death.
Despite the ending of one chapter, Mike remains determined to keep sharing David’s story, in a bid to promote “a message of unification and peace”.
Such work has never been more vital.