Jihadi Rod stunt is slammed as singer says sorry
Daughter of Scots aid worker executed by Isis brands star’s mock killing vid ‘disgraceful’
A MURDERED Scots aid worker’s family branded Rod Stewart a “disgrace” yesterday as the veteran singer apologised for his desert execution stunt.
The teenage daughter of David Haines, 44, who was beheaded by Isis in 2014, said she had lost all respect for the star, who was knighted last year.
And his widow said she was appalled by Stewart’s behaviour.
Stewart, 72, created a storm with a bizarre clip on Instagram which showed him coaxing a friend to kneel on a sand dune before grabbing his head and making a cutting motion over his throat.
The scene was horribly reminiscent of the killings carried out by the jihadi extremists of Isis, although Stewart insisted he was acting out a scene from TV series Game of Thrones.
He offered his “deepest apologies” for the video, which has been deleted, saying it had been “understandably misinterpreted”.
But Isis victim David’s daughter Bethany Haines, 19, of Scone, Perthshire, said yesterday: “I think it’s disgraceful that a celebrity and someone who is thought of as a role model would do this sort of thing.
“There are some things that are funny but this isn’t. This actually happened to my dad and it’s not something to joke about.
“Instead of putting his time and effort into a cheap laugh at people’s expense, he should be putting his time and effort into helping the people affected by what’s happened in Syria and everyone who’s been affected by this.
“I had a lot of respect for him but now I wouldn’t listen to any of his music. An apology is the least he could do.
“People, no matter who they are, need to think before they speak or act. To think of the people who’ll be affected by their words and actions.”
The offending clip was filmed in Abu Dhabi, where Stewart was performing on Thursday.
It was posted to his wife Penny’s
I wonder if he’d find it funny if he lost a loved one in such a vicious way DRAGANA HAINES
28,000 Instagram fans hours before he took to the stage. David’s widow, Dragana, 47, who lives in Croatia, also slammed the star, saying: “I am appalled by Sir Rod Stewart’s sick sense of humour. “I really wonder if he would find it funny if he lost his loved one in such a vicious and savage way. “I’m disgusted that somebody could find this entertaining. That’s pretty brainless.” Former journalist John McCarthy, who was held hostage by extremists in Lebanon for more than five years, also weighed into the debate, saying Stewart had turned “a grotesque thing into a kind of pantomime”. He said relatives of other kidnap victims would be “absolutely sickened” if they believed the star was making light of the horror they endured.
Dad-of-two David, who lived in Perth before moving to Croatia, was working for the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development when he was abducted in northern Syria in March 2013.
A video of his beheading was released by Isis in September 2014. His killer was later identified as Londoner Mohammed Emwazi, 27, known as Jihadi John.
Emwazi murdered a number of other hostages, including British aid worker Alan Henning , 47, from Salford, in 2014.
The militant was killed in a drone strike in November 2015.
Stewart said in a statement yesterday: “From re-enacting the Beatles’ Abbey Road crossing to spontaneously playing out Game of Thrones, we were simply larking about pre-show.
“Understandably, this has been misinterpreted and I send my deepest apologies to those who have been offended.”
Some fans also reacted angrily to the clip yesterday, branding it “disgusting” and “no joke”.
Pam Deardon wrote on Facebook: “Always liked him, but this is a real put off. Who, in their right mind, would want to mimic that evil b ***** d? Not funny, Rod, disgusting!”
Mary Titchner wrote: “No longer a fan, joke or no joke. No doubt he will sing his song I Was Only Joking.”
Louisa Terry Abbasi said: “That wasn’t a smart move. Really like Rod Stewart... not cool... can’t believe he would do something silly like this.”
Elaine Rafferty added: “Sir Rod...love you but this is just wrong...what went through ur head??”
But others were quick to defend the star, who is known for his quirky sense of humour and left fans in stitches with his bizarre antics while assisting with the Scottish Cup fifth round draw in January.
Anthony Rose wrote on Facebook: “The humour is for him and his party … no one else. Get a life if we don’t have a laugh we have lost it. All the professionally outraged.”
Lisa Keenan added: “Look at all these perfect people who have never told an inappropriate joke or made a risque comment.”
The Maggie May singer has been performing a string of international dates in recent weeks, with more shows lined up in Las Vegas, Mexico and Florida.