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Social media embraces slain hostage’s 4-year-old tweet

This screen shot made Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, shows a tweet posted by slain Japanese journalist Kenji Goto on Sept, 7, 2010, that states in Japanese, "Closing my eyes and holding still. It’s the end if I get mad or scream. It’s close to a prayer. Hate is not for humans. Judgment lies with God. That’s what I learned from my Arabic brothers and sisters." The Tweet had nearly 20,000 retweets on Goto’s Twitter account by Monday, and was being repeated by others by the minute. A video released over the weekend purported showing Goto beheaded by the Islamic State group. The Twitter account was verified as Goto’s by his friend Toshi Maeda. (AP Photo/Kenji Goto via Twitter)
This screen shot made Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, shows a tweet posted by slain Japanese journalist Kenji Goto on Sept, 7, 2010, that states in Japanese, "Closing my eyes and holding still. It’s the end if I get mad or scream. It’s close to a prayer. Hate is not for humans. Judgment lies with God. That’s what I learned from my Arabic brothers and sisters." The Tweet had nearly 20,000 retweets on Goto’s Twitter account by Monday, and was being repeated by others by the minute. A video released over the weekend purported showing Goto beheaded by the Islamic State group. The Twitter account was verified as Goto’s by his friend Toshi Maeda. (AP Photo/Kenji Goto via Twitter)

By Associated Press 2 min read

TOKYO (AP) – Social media users have embraced a 4-year-old tweet by Kenji Goto as a poignant memorial to the slain freelance journalist.

On his Twitter account, 47-year-old Goto mused about French wine, complained about his tired eyes, and talked to camera, reporting live from Syria. But one tweet has captured imaginations, seeming to sum up the character of the journalist who was beheaded by Islamic State extremists after a months-long hostage ordeal.

The tweet gone viral is from Sept. 7, 2010: “Closing my eyes and holding still. It’s the end if I get mad or scream. It’s close to a prayer. Hate is not for humans. Judgment lies with God. That’s what I learned from my Arabic brothers and sisters.”

It had 20,000 retweets on Goto’s Twitter account by Monday, and was being repeated by others by the minute.

The account was verified as Goto’s by his friend Toshi Maeda, who heads Tokyo-based venture Pacific Bridge, which created the mobile-video application Goto used for some of his reports from Syria.