The mother of Steven Sotloff, the American journalist that’s being held captive by the Islamic State, has issued an appeal to ISIS to spare his life.

Steven Sotloff's Mother Pleas For His Life

Shirley Sotloff recorded a message addressed to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Quraishi al Hussaini in which she addresses him as his new title – caliph – and appeals to him on both personal and religious grounds. By referring to him as caliph, Sotloff has likely become the first non-Muslim to acknowledge his new position of power, according to The New York Times, which obtained the video.

“I am sending this message to you, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Quraishi al-Hussaini, the caliph of the Islamic State. I am Shirley Sotloff. My son Steven is in your hands,” Sotloff begins. “You, the caliph, can grant amnesty. I ask you please to release my child,” she continues. “I ask you to use your authority to spare his life.”

“Steven is a journalist who traveled to the Middle East to cover the suffering of Muslims at the hands of tyrants. Steven is a loyal and generous son, brother and grandson,” says Sotloff. “He’s an honorable man and has always tried to help the weak. We have not seen Steven in over a year and we miss him very much. We want to see him home safe and sound and to hug him.”

Sotloff continues, “As a mother, I ask your justice to be merciful and not punish my son for matters he has no control over. I ask you to use your authority to spare his life and to follow the example set by the Prophet Muhammad, who protected People of the Book.”

Sotloff also notes that her son, as a journalist, has no control over the U.S. government and that hhe shouldn’t be held responsible for other’s sins.

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, the director of the Center for the Study of Terrorist Radicalization at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, believes that Sotloff delivered the best message she could have, one that he himself would have recorded should he ever be in her position.

“Baghdadi has succeeded in exerting his authority in the geographic area he controls in Syria and Iraq — but has extremely limited acknowledgment of his authority beyond that,” said Gartenstein-Ross, referring to the caliph title Sotloff uses. “This presents him with a dilemma — it is acknowledging his authority and it is also challenging him on religious grounds. The appeal is designed to both humanize Sotloff and create pressure on Baghdadi, and if I had a loved one being held, it is exactly the right move.”

Sotloff has been held by ISIS for the last year, in which he was kept with fellow American journalist James Foley. In the video that shows Foley’s beheading, Sotloff is dragged out into the sand. The jihadist who killed Foley threatens to take Sotloff’s life in much the same way depending on the actions of the United States.