(CNN) -- It was a gruesome act performed atop the stage of the global theater -- the grotesque image of a masked man, dressed all in black, beheading an American journalist in a production intended to strike terror into the hearts of millions around the world. This act of sadism was horrific enough on its own. But what some will also find deeply disturbing was that the jihadist executioner communicated his threat with a distinct London accent. The realization that there are people who grew up in Britain who are prepared to engage in such barbaric acts of depravity makes James Foley's murder feel more intimate than if it was perpetrated by a foreign-sounding killer from a different society.
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ISIS releases video showing the beheading of journalist James Foley
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Furedi: The executioner in the video appeared to have a London accent
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Furedi: Many radical British Muslims reject, loathe cultural values of British society
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Furedi: British leaders failed to define common purpose that can unite all parts of society
The beheading of Foley was staged as a "Message to America," but it constituted a direct warning to @placeholder.