On Christmas Day last year , Alan Henning was sitting in a brightly lit cafe in southern Turkey , sharing a laugh with his friends before they set off on their journey . Henning , a big-hearted taxi driver from Bolton , northern England , was part of a team of volunteers traveling from Britain to Syria to deliver aid to people in need . Nicknamed `` Gadget '' by his peers , Henning was the only non-Muslim in the convoy . He sacrificed Christmas , weekends and family time to do his part for those worst hit by Syria 's civil war , and was admired by his fellow volunteers . This was the father-of-two 's fourth trip to the war-torn country . While part of the aid convoy stopped at the Turkish border , Henning was part of a much smaller group that volunteered to press ahead into Syria itself . In video shot on the day , he explained part of his rationale for answering the call to help . `` It 's all worthwhile when you see what is needed actually gets where it needs to go , '' he said , before hugging a colleague . Henning was kidnapped by ISIS a day after the video was made . He is now under threat of imminent execution . As the clock ticks down , those who made the trip with him are pleading with the leaders of the militant group -- which has declared an independent Islamic state across parts of Syria and Iraq -- to let Henning go . `` Alan was moved by the suffering of the Syrian people , in particular the children , '' Abu Abdullah said in a YouTube plea to his colleague 's captors . `` Please do not take his life to pay for the crimes that the international governments have committed . '' On Thursday , more than 100 British Muslim imams and organizations condemned ISIS ' tactics and joined the call for Henning to be released . The coalition of Muslim communities is appealing to ISIS and the people around them to persuade the militants to change their ways , according to Mustafa Field , Director of Faiths Forum for London , one of the signatory organizations to the petition . `` The un-Islamic fanatics are not acting as Muslims but , as the Prime Minister has said , they 're acting as monsters , '' he told CNN . `` They are perpetrating the worst crimes against humanity -- this is not jihad . '' Field also had a direct message for the black-clad ISIS executioner known as `` Jihadi John '' -- the man with the London accent who featured in the group 's gruesome videos of the beheadings of Western hostages James Foley , Steven Sotloff , and David Haines . `` John , we as Muslims are here to preserve lives , '' Field told CNN . `` We can not continue this barbaric action . Come back , face justice , and repent . '' Those who travelled with Henning to Syria have steered clear of tough talk , adopting a softer tone in addressing the jihadists holding their friend . `` We beg you to tread the path of justice and show him the compassion in the heart of believers and in your heart , '' Abu Abdullah said . `` We promised Alan safety and security as Muslims and ask you , the leader of Islamic State , to honor our 'amana ' [ bond of trust ] . '' Meanwhile , British Muslim community leaders have sought to distance mainstream Muslims from extremists , launching a social media campaign under the hashtag # notinmyname . Hanif Qadir -- director of the anti-extremism charity Active Change Foundation in east London -- and local youngsters have added their voices to the anti-ISIS drive . `` Young British Muslims are sick and tired of the hate-filled propaganda the terrorists ISIS and their supporters churn out on social media , '' Qadir said . `` They are angry that the criminals are using the platforms to radicalise young people and spread their poisonous words of violence in the name of Islam . '' Regardless of the differences in tone , everyone appealing to ISIS to free Henning agrees on one thing -- the cabbie with the heart of gold can not be left to die . READ MORE : How the `` Islamic State '' is governedREAD MORE : U.S. `` ready to strike ISIS in Syria ''
British taxi driver Alan Henning was delivering aid to Syria when he was abducted . Friends , colleagues and British Muslim leaders have asked ISIS to release him . ISIS , which now controls large parts of Syria and Iraq , has beheaded several Western hostages .