Sean Penn watches Isis beheading videos out of moral obligation: 'The problem is we are not seeing enough of real violence'
The actor, humanitarian and social activist claims that by witnessing the graphic acts of violence he is counter-acting political correctness
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sean Penn has admitted that he watches Isis beheading videos because he feels he has a moral duty to so.
The actor, humanitarian and social activist claims that by witnessing the graphic acts of violence carried out on captives and filmed by Islamic extremists – like the burning to death of Jordanian pilot Lieutenant Muath al-Kaseasbeh – he is counteracting a sense of political correctness that has led to some upsetting footage of the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan from being broadcast by the western media.
“The problem is we are not seeing enough of real violence,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
“We are being anesthetized when you don't see the horror of war.”
Asked by the interviewer whether he felt morally obliged to watch the videos, he said he did.
Speaking on TBS talkshow Conan last week, he said: “These are the guys, he and President Bush and some others, who invented Daesh, or ISIS.”
On Friday, Isis released a video purporting to show the beheading of three Kurdish soldiers.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments