The killing of Alan Henning, a British hostage held by extremist group Islamic State, has caused anger and turmoil for many who knew him, and many who didn’t. Notably, many of the most prominent voices of anguish have come from Britain’s Islamic community.
There are at least two separate online accounts dedicated to Henning. One fund was set up by Shameela Islam-Zulfiqar, a doctor who accompanied Henning on his trip, and currently has £24,216 in donations ($38,832). “News of his murder has left us all enraged and distraught,” Islam-Zulfiqar had said this week. “In the face of this atrocity, we all need to stand together as Muslims and non-Muslims. We should not let this divide us.”
Islam-Zulfiqar says that the page was set up with permission from Alan’s wife. “A project will also be set up in Alan’s name eventually to benefit those that Alan died trying to help in Syria,” the page also states. A separate fundraising page has £8,736 ($14,008), while a third account is raising money for the charities Henning supported.
