James Foley’s parents cannot be faulted for this naivete. After all, the official U.S. government line is that Islam is utterly peaceful and benign. This group calls itself “the Islamic State,” and is, of course, “extremist,” but the Foleys may have hoped that they would ultimately recall some of the vaunted peaceful, tolerant, benevolent and magnanimous teachings of their holy book and prophet, and let their son go. The Foleys’ failure to realize how brutal the Islamic State really could and would be is a byproduct of the general denial by both government and media of the fact that there are texts and teachings of Islam that preach hatred and violence. Their naivete is a manifestation of the general willful ignorance and the demonization of all who speak the truth about this as “racists,” “bigots,” and “Islamophobes.”
“Foley’s parents ‘underestimated how brutal they were,'” ITV, August 22, 2014:
The mother of James Foley, the US journalist executed by Islamist militants, told NBC’s Today show that they had previously attempted to negotiate with the extremists holding their son hostage.
“The last time we heard from them was in December, actually. In December we had received several emails but then they stopped communicating,” Diane Foley said.
“And so we were just anxiously waiting. We had established a special email and sent multiple messages hoping to engage them.”
James’ father, John, said he had been “excited” to see the most recent Islamic State email “despite the conclusion that they would execute Jim” and that he “did not realise how brutal they were.”