Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 30. november 2005 / Timeline November 30, 2005
Version 3.529. November 2005, December 2005
11/30/2005
Update on Four Missing CPT Members in
Iraq
By: Christian
Peacemaker Teams, 29 November 2005
We were very saddened to see the images of our loved ones on Al
Jazeera television recently. We were disturbed by seeing the video
and believe that repeated showing of it will endanger the lives of
our friends. We are deeply disturbed by their abduction. We pray
that those who hold them will be merciful and that they will be
released soon. We want so much to see their faces in our home
again, and we want them to know how much we love them, how much we
miss them, and how anxious and concerned we are by what is
happening to them.
We are angry because what has happened to our teammates is the
result of the actions of the U.S. and U.K. government due to the
illegal attack on Iraq and the continuing occupation and oppression
of its people. Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has worked for the
rights of Iraqi prisoners who have been illegally detained and
abused by the U.S. government. We were the first people to publicly
denounce the torture of Iraqi people at the hands of U.S. forces,
long before the western media admitted what was happening at Abu
Ghraib. We are some of the few internationals left in Iraq who are
telling the truth about what is happening to the Iraqi people. We
hope that we can continue to do this work and we pray for the
speedy release of our beloved teammates.
We can confirm the identities of those who are being held as
follows:
Tom Fox, age 54, is from Clearbrook, Virginia and is a
dedicated father of two children. For the past two years, Mr. Fox
has worked with CPT in partnership with Iraqi human rights
organizations to promote peace. Mr. Fox has been faithful in the
observance of Quaker practice for 22 years. While in Iraq, he
sought a more complete understanding of Islamic cultural richness.
He is committed to telling the truth to U.S. citizens about the
horrors of war and its effects on ordinary Iraqi civilians and
families as a result of U.S. policies and practices.
Tom Fox worked with CPT's Hebron team from December 2004-January
2005. Above, a photo of Tom participating in a demonstration
against the Apartheid Wall in Jayyous. (CPT)
Mr. Fox is an accomplished musician. He plays the bass clarinet and
the recorder and he loves to cook. He has also worked as a
professional grocer. Mr. Fox devotes much of his time to working
with children. He has served as an adult leader of youth programs,
and worked at a Quaker camp for youth. He has facilitated young
people's participation in opposing war and violence. Mr. Fox is a
quiet and peaceful man, respectful of everyone, who believes that
"there is that of God in every person" which is why work for peace
is so important to him.
Norman Kember, age 74, is from London, England. He and his
wife of 45 years have two married daughters and a 3-year old
grandson. He has been a pacifist all his life, beginning with his
work in a hospital instead of National Service at age 18. Before
his retirement, he was a professor teaching medical students at St.
Bartholemew's Hospital in London. He is well-known as a peace
activist, and has been involved in several peace groups. For the
past 10 years he has volunteered with a local program providing
free food to the homeless. He likes walking, birdwatching, and
writing humorous songs and sketches. In his younger days he enjoyed
mountaineering.
James Loney, 41, is a community worker from Toronto, Canada.
He has been a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams since August
2000, and is currently the Program Coordinator for CPT Canada. On
previous visits to Iraq, his work focused on taking testimonies
from families of detainees for CPT's report on detainee abuse, and
making recommendations for securing basic legal rights. James was
leading the November 2005 delegation in Iraq when he went
missing.
James is a peace activist, writer, trained mediator, and works
actively with two Toronto community conflict resolution services.
He has spent many years working to provide housing and support for
homeless people.
In a personal statement from James to CPT, he writes: "I believe
that our actions as a people of peace must be an expression of hope
for everyone. My hope in practising non-violence is that I can be a
conduit for the transformative power of God's love acting upon me
as much as I hope it will act upon others around me."
Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32 is a Canadian electrical engineer.
He is studying for a masters degree in English literature in
Auckland University in New Zealand to prepare for a teaching
career. He enjoys art, is active in squash, and worked part time as
a local squash coach. His family describes him as peaceful and
fun-loving and he is known to be passionate about the plight of the
underprivileged around the globe. He works tirelessly in his spare
time to educate and help others.
Christian Peacemaker Teams has been present in Iraq since October
2002, providing first-hand, independent reports from the region,
working with detainees of both United States and Iraqi forces, and
training others in non-violent intervention and human rights
documentation. Christian Peacemaker Teams is a violence reduction
program. Teams of trained peacemakers work in areas of lethal
conflict around the world.
11/30/2005
To the Members of the Sword of Righteousness, To those who
resist war everywhere, And to all who oppose the USA's illegal
attack of Iraq
By: John Wilmerding
Coalition for Equity-Restorative Justice (CERJ)
[Quaker co-religionist with Thomas Fox, Captive]
Please, in the name of humanity, take into consideration the fact
that the four men you have kidnapped recently in Iraq are members
and activists in a group that has opposed the USA's and Great
Britain's illegal attack upon Iraq from the very beginning.
There appears to be no evidence that any of these men are anything
but gentle religious pacifists, courageous and prophetic people who
journeyed to your country for the sole purpose of alleviating
suffering ... especially the suffering of the Iraqi, Arab, and
Muslim people who constitute most of the victims of this illegal
war.
Please, in the name of Allah, be so kind as to treat these men
hospitably while you hold them, and also be sure to release them as
soon as this is practicable.
You might also wish to thank them for their organization's firm
opposition to the illegal war being carried out against the Iraqi
people by the USA and British fascists.
Let it be known everywhere that there are substantial numbers of
people in the western countries who have opposed this illegal war,
and other illegal and immoral wars fought by our countries from the
very beginning. What callous irony would permit those who oppose
war, and who courageously put their lives and bodies on the line to
make peace, to join innocent women and children in becoming its
most incongruous victims?
There were millions in the west who took to the streets to oppose
this war. These men were among them. Please let them return to
their loving families.
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