The brother of executed Perth aid worker David Haines has said terrorists will win if there is a backlash against Muslims because of the Paris terror attacks.
Mr Haines, 44, from Perth was working in Syrian refugee camps when he was kidnapped by Islamic State in March last year.
Horrific footage of the father-of-two’s murder at the hands of the killer dubbed Jihadi John was released on the internet in September.
His brother Michael Haines told BBC Radio 4’s World at One on Thursday that the murder of 12 people in Paris yesterday had brought back terrible memories of David’s death for his family – but warned reprisals against the Muslim community play into the terrorists’ hands.
He described yesterday’s horrific events in Paris as “a shock”.
“Every time that we hear of a terrorist atrocity, from wherever it is in the world, it hits hard,” he said.
“It hits all my family. It is just ‘Oh no, here we go again’.
“We hoped and prayed, naively, that David would be the last. You always want to feel that would be end of it, but it never is.”
Mr Haines said his family sympathise with the relatives of yesterday’s victims.
“They are in our thoughts, prayers and hearts.
“We understand what they are going through and I open my arms in friendship to the families hurting today,” he said.
David worked for the French charity Acted, which has its headquarters in Paris and Michael said the demonstrations of solidarity in the French capital had been heartening.
“People from all walks of life, all creeds, all religions have come together in unity to support the people who have been hurt, the families that have been hurt.”
And he said the killers behind the attack on Charlie Hebdo want to drive a wedge between ordinary Muslims and wider society.
“That’s part of their plan,” he said.
“We must not let this happen. We cannot let them manipulate us into actions against innocents.
“They want us to become isolated. To polarise our communities, to bring in fear and discord and destroy the fabric of our life because when we arei n fear we close in.
“If discord rises then these attacks succeed.
“That’s why Muslim communities must be in our thoughts today too. They will be living in fear of reprisals. We must show support for them and stand united against those who wish to do us harm.”
Michael has been visiting mosques and Muslim groups since his brother was murdered and said the actions of extremists are not representative of the general Muslim population.
“The Islamic faith is merciful, it is open, it is friendly,” he said.
“Every person of Islamic faith that I have met has been very, very open and warm. It is a wonderful privilege to be able to go and meet such groups, such people from all walks of life.
“There has been a lot of people of the Islamic faith begging forgiveness and I say to them: ‘There’s nothing to forgive. It’s not your people, it’s not even your religion, it’s people misusing your religion to justify their own actions.’”