Sotloff Family: Steven 'Wanted to Give Voice to Those Who Had None'

Steven Sotloff, the American journalist whose beheading was released on video Tuesday by the Islamic State group (ISIS), wasn't a "war junkie," but was compelled to tell the stories of those suffering at the hands of injustice in the Middle East, a family spokesman said Wednesday.

Barak Barfi, a Sotloff family spokesman, spoke in English and Arabic during a brief statement in Miami.

Barfi said Sotloff would have liked to live a comfortable middle-class life in Miami, but was torn between two worlds. Barfi compared those worlds to two iconic American film directors.

"He wanted to live in a society governed by John Ford's ideals, but ultimately he could not turn his back on the suffering pervading Sam Peckinpah's world," Barfi said.

"But the Arab world pulled him," Barfi said. "He was no war junkie. He did not want to be a modern-day Lawrence of Arabia. He merely wanted to give voice to those who had none."

Sotloff ultimately sacrificed his life to bring their stories to the world, Barfi said.

"Steve was no hero," he said. "Like all of us, he was a mere man who tried to find good concealed in a world of darkness. And if it did not exist he tried to create it."

Sotloff's execution video was released two weeks after that of fellow American journalist James Foley, who was also beheaded by the Islamic State group.

Related Stories:

• Slain US Journalist Sotloff Also Had Israeli Citizenship
• Obama Says Beheading Videos Won't Intimidate US