Response to critics of CPT

They media coverage over the past few days has been a depressing postscript to the freedom from captivity of Jim, Harmeet and Norman. Almost as soon as their bonds were cut loose the attacks began, showing little sensitivity to their families and the 3 men who had also just been informed about Tom's death. One radio programme in the US told its listeners to phone the CPT offices in Chicago and Toronto and jam their phone lines. I have personally recieved some hate mail and those more centrally involved in CPT have recieved torrents of it.

A principle allegation is that the hostages and CPT as an organisation did not express gratitute to the military personel involved in their release. This allegation has been most widely reported through quoting General Sir Michael Jackson who spoke to Channel 4 News on Friday evening saying that “saddened that there doesn’t seem to have been a note of gratitude for the soldiers who risked their lives to save those lives”.

While it is true that CPT's first press release on Thursday morning did not contain specific thanks to soldiers, it is because this was released in the middle of the night in Canada, at 3.30am EST, when CPT had just recieved a phone call from Jim Loney's family saying that the three were free. At that stage CPT had no further details of what had happened and so issued a simple statement rejocing in their freedom and remembering Tom Fox. As soon as details emerged they issued an addenda to the statement that evening expressing specific thanks. This came a day before General Jackson's comments to Channel 4 News (which in fact he qualified on that interview by saying a thank-you may have been issued, but if so he was not aware of it - this qualification has usually been cut out from quotations). Furthermore in their first statements upon arriving home in England, Canada and New Zealand, all of the three men have expressed thanks to those involved in their release. Also, more important than press statements, the three men thanked the people who helped them face to face when they were in Baghdad.

As for other media attacks such as accusations of naivite etc., see this excellent set of responses to criticisms prepared by the religious think-tank Ekklesia.

In any case, it is better being attacked than ignored, it a sign that the powers-that-be are feeling uncomfortable. Jesus told his followers to expect things like this: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12).

Rescue of CPT hostages!

This is wonderful news this morning that Norman, Jim and Harmeet my CPT colleagues were rescued this morning. The reports I have heard so far say that no one was harmed in the release, and if this is true then that is a relief as none of the three would want anyone to be killed to secure their freedom. I am grateful for the many people who worked for their release, both those involved in this operation and moveover the dozens of Iraqi and Muslim friends who have supported us over the last 4 months, and particularly those who put themselves in danger in the process.

Jack Straw, the British foreign secretary, has said that this operation justifies that continued Coalition military presence in Iraq. I know that all the former hostages will reject this. They came to Iraq to stand with Iraqis against the abuses perpatrated by the Coalition, and it is because of the actions of the Coalition that Iraq is in such a state of chaos where kidnapping is commonplace and where any foreigners are particular prized targets.

I'm going to keep updating this page today as facts emerge

LOCATION: The Interior Ministry says they were found northwest of Baghdad between the towns of Mishahda, 20 miles away from Baghdad, and the western suburb of Abu Ghraib, 12 miles away. Maj.Gen Lynch is saying it was a "house in West Baghdad".
TIME: Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, the U.S. military spokesman said they were resuced at 8am this morning.
CONDITION: Reports are that Norman is in a "reasonable condition" but Jim & Harmeet required hospital treatment (I think they were only briefly in Ibn Sina hospital in Baghdad, CPT colleagues are going there now to see them).
CIRCUMSTANCES: Maj.Gen Lynch said that the operation was based on information from a man captured by U.S. forces only three hours earlier. (this doesn't seem to match Jack Straw's statement that the operation was weeks in the planning). No kidnappers were present when the troops broke into a house in western Baghdad. The captives' hands were tied,there was no one else present in the house when troops arrived, and therefore no shot was fired.
COMMENTTS: Some people's reactions on BBC news. I was interviewed on BBC World but haven't got a link to that.

I echo CPT's statement
Our hearts filled with joy today as we heard that Harmeet Singh Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman Kember have been safely released in Baghdad. Christian Peacemaker Teams rejoices with their families and friends at the expectation of their return to their loved ones and community. Together we have endured uncertainty, hope, fear, grief and now joy during the four months since they were abducted in Baghdad.
We rejoice in the return of Harmeet Sooden. He has been willing to put his life on the line to promote justice in Iraq and Palestine as a young man newly committed to active peacemaking.
We rejoice in the return of Jim Loney. He has cared for the marginalized and oppressed since childhood, and his gentle, passionate spirit has been an inspiration to people near and far.
We rejoice in the return of Norman Kember. He is a faithful man, an elder and mentor to many in his 50 years of peacemaking, a man prepared to pay the cost.
We remember with tears Tom Fox, whose body was found in Baghdad on March 9, 2006, after three months of captivity with his fellow peacemakers. We had longed for the day when all four men would be released together. Our gladness today is made bittersweet by the fact that Tom is not alive to join in the celebration. However, we are confident that his spirit is very much present in each reunion.
Harmeet, Jim and Norman and Tom were in Iraq to learn of the struggles facing the people in that country. They went, motivated by a passion for justice and peace to live out a nonviolent alternative in a nation wracked by armed conflict. They knew that their only protection was in the power of the love of God and of their Iraqi and international co-workers. We believe that the illegal occupation of Iraq by Multinational Forces is the root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and suffering in Iraq. The occupation must end.
Today, in the face of this joyful news, our faith compels us to love our enemies even when they have committed acts which caused great hardship to our friends and sorrow to their families. In the spirit of the prophetic nonviolence that motivated Jim, Norman, Harmeet and Tom to go to Iraq, we refuse to yield to a spirit of vengeance. We give thanks for the compassionate God who granted our friends courage and who sustained their spirits over the past months. We pray for strength and courage for ourselves so that, together, we can continue the nonviolent struggle for justice and peace.
Throughout these difficult months, we have been heartened by messages of concern for our four colleagues from all over the world. We have been especially moved by the gracious outpouring of support from Muslim brothers and sisters in the Middle East, Europe, and North America. That support continues to come to us day after day. We pray that Christians throughout the world will, in the same spirit, call for justice and for respect for the human rights of the thousands of Iraqis who are being detained illegally by the U.S. and British forces occupying Iraq.
During these past months, we have tasted of the pain that has been the daily bread of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. Why have our loved ones been taken? Where are they being held? Under what conditions? How are they? Will they be released? When?
With Tom’s death, we felt the grief of losing a beloved friend. Today, we rejoice in the release of our friends Harmeet, Jim and Norman. We continue to pray for a swift and joyful homecoming for the many Iraqis and internationals who long to be reunited with their families. We renew our commitment to work for an end to the war and the occupation of Iraq as a way to continue the witness of Tom Fox. We trust in God’s compassionate love to show us the way.
Living through the many emotions of this day, we remain committed to the words of Jim Loney, who wrote: "With God’s abiding kindness, we will love even our enemies. With the love of Christ, we will resist all evil. With God’s unending faithfulness, we will work to build the beloved community."

Goodbye my friend

I will always remember Tom Fox as a dear friend and the truest model of Christ-like nonviolence that I am likely to meet, and whom I aspire to emulate. Amidst the chaos, confusion and stress of Iraq, Tom managed to maintain a steady calm, a consistent faith and a gentle sense of humour. When my heart was rushing at 100 beats a minute in fear, worry or anger about something going on around us in Iraq, talking to Tom was like bathing in a cool pond and gradually exhaling all the anxiety.

This photo is from January 2005, when I first met Tom during my CPT training in Chicago. We were in Iraq together for much of the year. He was with me on April 20 when I learnt that there was a specific and imminent death threat against me, and prayed and talked with me as I discerned what to do. His support was critical during that most frightening time. (14 March - Reflecting on Tom's death, it seems unfair that I should have escaped through a tip-off, whereas Tom - who was far more deserving, has children and could have contributed so much to Iraq - did not).

His death is a loss to us all but I know that he would not consider it a waste. He was well aware of the dangers because his first stay in Iraq was in the frightening days of Autumn 2004 after an intense spate of kidnappings including many friends of CPT. Tom would hope that his death would focus attention not on himself but on the suffering of 25 million Iraqis trapped in the chaos which has been created by the Occupation. I hope that he will be an inspiration to thousands to chose the path of nonviolence, costly though it can be.

The reports are saying that there is evidence that Tom was beaten and tortured. I suspect that amidst his pain he would have cried out, like Jesus, for forgiveness for his oppressors. The people who killed Tom must have dehumanized him, seeing him as "an American" or "a hostage" but nonetheless Tom valued them as precious children of God. He shared his perspective in a poignant reflection "Why are we here?", written on 25 November, the day before his kidnapping:

"As I survey the landscape here in Iraq, dehumanization seems to be the operative means of relating to each other. U.S. forces in their quest to hunt down and kill "terrorists" are, as a result of this dehumanizing word, not only killing "terrorists," but also killing innocent Iraqis: men, women and children in the various towns and villages. It seems as if the first step down the road to violence is taken when I dehumanize a person... As soon as I rob a fellow human being of his or her humanity by sticking a dehumanizing label on them, I begin the process that can have, as an end result, torture, injury and death. "Why are we here?" We are here to root out all aspects of dehumanization that exist within us. We are here to stand with those being dehumanized by oppressors and stand firm against that dehumanization. We are here to stop people, including ourselves, from dehumanizing any of God's children, no matter how much they dehumanize their own souls."

For me the defining picture of Tom was taken in May 2005 when he dressed in an orange jumpsuit and joined with Iraqi Shia colleagues from Muslim Peacemaker Teams to sweep streets in the devestated Sunni city of Fallujah. Here was Tom engaging in a humble act of physical service in support of Iraqi colleagues seeking reconciliation between communities and a restoration of the destruction wrought by the Occupation.

CPT statement on Tom's death

Sheila Provencher (CPT team mate)

Excerpts from Tom's blog

Electronic Iraq's memorial

Charles Sullivan constrasting Tom's Christianity with Bush.

New video of CPTers

A new video was released yestarday on al-Jazeera. It showed 3 of my colleagues from CPT who were kidnapped and, at a time when hope could have been dwindling, it is reassuring to see them alive. My closest freind amongst the group, Tom Fox, did not feature in this video. I echo the statement CPT has released:

"We do not know what to make of Tom Fox's absence from this video. However we do know what motivated Tom and his colleagues to go to Iraq. Tom wrote on the day before he was taken, "We are here to take part in the creation of the Peaceable Realm of God... How we take part in the creation of this realm is to love God with all our heart, our mind and our strength, and to love our neighbors and enemies as we love God and ourselves." Many Iraqi friends and human rights workers welcome CPT as a nonviolent, independent presence. Iraqis have asked us to tell their stories in our home communities, to share with them our own experiences of peacemaking, to assist them in building nonviolent institutions in Iraq, and to accompany them as they seek justice for detainees and others suffering from the oppression of Iraq. We seek to promote what is human in all of us and so to offer a glimpse of hope in a dark time. This hope springs from our own faith tradition. We have witnessed a similar hope within the faith traditions of the people of Iraq. We believe that the root cause of the abduction of our colleagues is the U.S. and British-led invasion and occupation of Iraq. Many in Iraq have experienced this long war as terrorism. The occupation must end."

Tim Nafzinger, who will be Best Man at my wedding in June, speaks about the new video and particularly about Norman Kember on Democracy Now.

On the theme of detainees here's an excellent interview by my friend Jane with Moazzam Begg, one of the Brits eventually released from Guantánamo Bay.

Iraqis in South Africa

So I'm rushing around South Africa with 10 Iraqis. We flew in from Dubai on Sunday night and in 5 days are going Joburg > Cape Town > Joburg > Durban > Cape Town > Joburg! We met today with Archbishop Desmond Tutu who still has the humility and childlike humour I remember from back in 1994 when I heard him talk at St.Aldates Church in Oxford, although he is visibly frailer. We're meeting with President Mbeki tomorrow but unfortunately Mandela is off on holiday so we won't be seeing him.

The purpose of the delegation is to share some of South Africa's experiences as an extremely diverse state (with 11 official languages!) which has sucessfully transitioned from represive minority rule. Given that I was still a kid and not politically engaged when Apartheid ended it's been a revelation learning just how risky the transition was and that the country only just avoided a civil war that could have been as bloody as Iraq's (Even so, as I heard today from Dave Stewart, De Klerk's Chief of Staff in the early 90s, 22,000 people were killed in the decade running up to Mandela's election). Learning about South Africa's journey may give the Iraqis some hope along with ideas and inspiration to work for reconciliation. At the same time most of the people we've met have admitted the differences, South Africa for example was able to transition on its own timescale without interference from foreign troops and neighbouring countries, a luxury Iraq has been denied.

Here's an interview with Fink Haysom (my boss, to my right on the photo) about the delegation. And here's another.