Kidnapped but standing firm

It's now almost 24 hours since the video of my CPT friends appeared on al-Jazeera. Until that point I'd been rushing to try and return to Baghdad ASAP but since then I've been glued to the phone & net, not leaving my desk (and sleeping under it). I've been tangled up in some of Iraq's horrors before (Ghareeb, Enzo, Simonas, Marla, Khalid and my own death threat) but that's not really much of a preparation. Dozens of people across at least 7 countries have been working through the night and supporting each other through fear, exhaustion and frustration. In the intense flurry of activity (I've made more calls in the last day than maybe the last 3 months combined) its very easy to forget prayer but it is more valuable than anything else we (and you please!) can do. And not lose sight of the bigger picture. Wonderful and valuable though my friends are, they are no more valuable than the dozens of Iraqis who are murdered and kidnapped every day and may warrant no more than a nameless footnote in a newswire, if that.

CPT has now issued a full press statement in arabic and english. Also a Palestinian statement of support from Islamic forces in Khalil has been issued by people familiar with our work in the West Bank (english translation). Please circulate these. Many Iraqis friends are trying to get the word out on Arab TV. Here are some articles about CPT's work in Iraq over the last year.

In a published reflection a year ago, Tom Fox wrote: If I am not to fight or flee in the face of armed aggression, be it the overt aggression of the army or the subversive aggression of the terrorist, then what am I to do? "Stand firm against evil" (Matthew 5:39) seems to be the guidance of Jesus and Gandhi in order to stay connected with God. Here in Iraq I struggle with that second form of aggression. I have visual references and written models of CPTers standing firm against the overt aggression of an army, be it regular or paramilitary. But how do you stand firm against a car-bomber or a kidnapper? Clearly the soldier disconnected from God needs to have me fight. Just as clearly the terrorist disconnected from God needs to have me flee. Both are willing to kill me using different means to achieve he same end--that end being to increase the parasitic power of Satan within God's good creation. It seems easier somehow to confront anger within my heart than it is to confront fear. But if Jesus and Gandhi are right then I am not to give in to either. I am to stand firm against the kidnapper as I am to stand firm against the soldier. Does that mean I walk into a raging battle to confront the soldiers? Does that mean I walk the streets of Baghdad with a sign saying "American for the Taking?" No to both counts. But if Jesus and Gandhi are right, then I am asked to risk my life, and if I lose it to be as forgiving as they were.

Peacemakers kidnapped

On Saturday four people with Christian Peacemaker Teams, one a close friend I worked with in Iraq earlier this year and another an aquaintance, were kidnapped in Baghdad. CPT has issued this statement:

"International violence-reduction organization Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) confirmed today that the four humanitarian workers kidnapped in Baghdad on November 26 are associated with their organization. One of the hostages is Norman Kember, a member of the current CPT delegation to Iraq. The British Foreign office confirmed Mr. Kember’s name on Sunday. The names of the other hostages are being withheld in the interest of their security. Only two are members of the long-term Team.

CPT has been present in Iraq since October, 2002. The Team’s work has focused on documenting and focusing public attention on detainee abuses, connecting citizens of Iraq to local and international human rights organizations, and accompanying Iraqi civilians as they interact with multinational military personnel and Iraq’s government officials. Iraqi friends and human rights workers have welcomed the Team as a non-violent, independent presence and asked that the Team tell the stories of Iraqis.

In a “Statement of Conviction,” the long-term Team members stated that they “are aware of the many risks both Iraqis and internationals currently face,” and affirmed that the risks did not outweigh their purpose in remaining. They express the hope that “in loving both friends and enemies and by intervening non-violently to aid those who are systematically oppressed, we can contribute in some small way to transforming this volatile situation.”

CPT does not advocate the use of violent force to save our lives should we be kidnapped, held hostage, or caught in the middle of a conflict situation.

Christian Peacemaker Teams places teams of trained peacemakers in crisis situations and militarized areas around the world. These teams host regular delegations of committed peace and human rights activists to conflict zones, who join teams in working with civilians to document abuses and develop non-violent alternatives. The CPT Iraq Team has hosted a total of 120 people on 16 delegations over the last 3 years.

In addition to the Iraq Team, Teams of CPT workers are currently serving in Barrancabermeja, Colombia; Hebron and At-Tuwani, Palestine; Kenora, Ontario, Canada; and on the Mexico-United States border."

The CPT-Iraq team does not want media speculation at this moment in case this is harmful. They may issue further statements on their website. Any media should contact them on +1 416-423-5525 (Canada) +1 773-277-0253 (US), offices being staffed 24hrs a day.

If anyone may be able to help with their release contact CPT on the above, or you can reach me at justinalexander@gmail.com or by phone currently on +0039 0831 23 2042 (until about 10pm Kuwait time, 3pm EST) or at my hotel + 965 5710301 ext. 237 (or ask the switchboard to see if I'm at the lobby internet cafe). You may be able to SMS (but not call) me on +962 796497506. My numbers are likely to change in the next few days as I am traveling, and I will post the latest here.

Use Googlenews for the latest on this issue sorted by relevance and date.

In any case, I welcome all of your prayers for their safety and for the many brave Iraqis suffering ongoing kidnapping, detention and violence, and struggling to make ends meet.

Remember Fallujah

Today marks an ignoble aniversary. On 8 November 2004 the US military, with approval and support from Britain, began the systematic destruction of a city of 200,000 people in an operation originally and appropriately codenamed "Thanksgiving Massacre". When I visited 5 months later the 1000+ bodies had been buried and the blood had been washed away, but the devastation remained.

Reading that 60% of the buildings had been seriously damaged is one thing, looking around a once populous neighbourhood and seeing only rubble in all directions is something else entirely. The people of Fallujah were promised large amounts of compensation and reconstruction but my friends at Christian Peacemaker Teams who visited a few days ago testify that a year on the situation remain dire.

http://www.rememberfallujah.org/... and Ramadi, Hit, Mosul, Qaim, Tal Afar, Haditha...