Henry Dare is the father of Grace “Khadijah” Dare, a Christian convert from Lewisham, who converted to Islam in around 2012. She took her son Isa on moving to Syria to marry Swedish militant Abu Bakr, who
was later killed.
Henry Dare said he had not seen his grandson Isa for over 3 years and was surprised and disappointed to see him in the video, which shows the killing of 5 Syrians by 5 IS thugs including one with an English accent.
Asked whether his grandson knew what he was doing Henry said: “No, he’s a kid, he’s a minor. He’s under 5. He’s acting under the influence of the IS leaders. He’s my grandson. I can’t disown him. I know him very well. He’s propaganda. They are just using a small boy. They are just using him as a shield.”
Hinting that he had spoken to his grandson on the phone, Dare said he hoped to see his daughter and grandson again. “I was surprised when I saw the picture. It’s definitely him. Of course I’m worried but there’s nothing I can do now. I’m not angry – I would never have expected it. I just hope someone is trying to bring them back.”
Since moving to Syria, Khadijah has posted messages and images on social media under the name Mmuhajirah fi Sham, including one of her son holding an AK47. Khadijah said she would never return to the UK and that the only thing she missed about life here was junk food and Chinese takeaways. She also hoped to be the first UK woman to behead a prisoner for Isis.
