Christian peacemakers warn against demonisation following death of Tom Fox

-11/03/06

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Christian peacemakers warn against demonisation following death of Tom Fox

-11/03/06

Colleagues of Christian peacemaker Tom Fox, whose body was found in Baghdad yesterday, have urged that neither George W Bush, Tony Blair, Muslims or those who abducted their four colleagues be ‘demonised’.

Christian Peacemaker Teams said a few days ago that they considered the invasion of Iraq to be the root cause of the abductions.

“In grief we tremble before God who wraps us with compassion. The death of our beloved colleague and friend pierces us with pain” a statement from the groups said last night.

Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), which works in partnership with Ekklesia in the UK, extended its “deep and heartfelt condolences to the family and community of Tom Fox.”

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The statement said that that Tom Fox had “a lightness of spirit, a firm opposition to all oppression, and the recognition of God in everyone.”

CPT renewed its plea for the safe release of Harmeet Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman Kember.

But they said; “Each of our teammates has responded to Jesus’ prophetic call to live out a nonviolent alternative to the cycle of violence and revenge.”

“In response to Tom’s passing, we ask that everyone set aside inclinations to vilify or demonise others, no matter what they have done.

Quoting Tom Fox, they said: “We reject violence to punish anyone. We ask that there be no retaliation on relatives or property. We forgive those who consider us their enemies. We hope that in loving both friends and enemies and by intervening nonviolently to aid those who are systematically oppressed, we can contribute in some small way to transforming this volatile situation.”

Speaking about Fox they said: “Even as we grieve the loss of our beloved colleague, we stand in the light
of his strong witness to the power of love and the courage of nonviolence. That light reveals the way out of fear and grief and war.”

“Through these days of crisis, Christian Peacemaker Teams has been surrounded and upheld by a great outpouring of compassion: messages of support, acts of mercy, prayers, and public actions offered by the most senior religious councils and by school children, by political leaders and by those organizing for justice and human rights, by friends in distant nations and by strangers near at hand.

“These words and actions sustain us. While one of our teammates is lost to us, the strength of this outpouring is not lost to God’s movement for just peace among all peoples.

“At the forefront of that support are strong and courageous actions from Muslim brothers and sisters throughout the world for which we are profoundly grateful. Their graciousness inspires us to continue working for the day when Christians speak up as boldly for the human rights of thousands Iraqis still detained illegally by the United States and United Kingdom.

“Such an outpouring of action for justice and peace would be a fitting memorial for Tom. Let us all join our voices on behalf of those who continue to suffer under occupation, whose loved ones have been killed or
are missing. In so doing, we may hasten the day when both those who are wrongly detained and those who bear arms will return safely to their homes. In such a peace we will find solace for our grief.

“Despite the tragedy of this day, we remain committed to put into practice these words of Jim Loney: ‘With the waging of war, we will not comply. With the help of God’s grace, we will struggle for justice. With God’s abiding kindness, we will love even our enemies.’ We continue in hope for Jim, Harmeet and Norman’s safe return home safe.”


Christian peacemakers warn against demonisation following death of Tom Fox

-11/03/06

Colleagues of Christian peacemaker Tom Fox, whose body was found in Baghdad yesterday, have urged that neither George W Bush, Tony Blair, Muslims or those who abducted their four colleagues be ‘demonised’.

Christian Peacemaker Teams said a few days ago that they considered the invasion of Iraq to be the root cause of the abductions.

“In grief we tremble before God who wraps us with compassion. The death of our beloved colleague and friend pierces us with pain” a statement from the groups said last night.

Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), which works in partnership with Ekklesia in the UK, extended its “deep and heartfelt condolences to the family and community of Tom Fox.”

Related Articles

The statement said that that Tom Fox had “a lightness of spirit, a firm opposition to all oppression, and the recognition of God in everyone.”

CPT renewed its plea for the safe release of Harmeet Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman Kember.

But they said; “Each of our teammates has responded to Jesus’ prophetic call to live out a nonviolent alternative to the cycle of violence and revenge.”

“In response to Tom’s passing, we ask that everyone set aside inclinations to vilify or demonise others, no matter what they have done.

Quoting Tom Fox, they said: “We reject violence to punish anyone. We ask that there be no retaliation on relatives or property. We forgive those who consider us their enemies. We hope that in loving both friends and enemies and by intervening nonviolently to aid those who are systematically oppressed, we can contribute in some small way to transforming this volatile situation.”

Speaking about Fox they said: “Even as we grieve the loss of our beloved colleague, we stand in the light
of his strong witness to the power of love and the courage of nonviolence. That light reveals the way out of fear and grief and war.”

“Through these days of crisis, Christian Peacemaker Teams has been surrounded and upheld by a great outpouring of compassion: messages of support, acts of mercy, prayers, and public actions offered by the most senior religious councils and by school children, by political leaders and by those organizing for justice and human rights, by friends in distant nations and by strangers near at hand.

“These words and actions sustain us. While one of our teammates is lost to us, the strength of this outpouring is not lost to God’s movement for just peace among all peoples.

“At the forefront of that support are strong and courageous actions from Muslim brothers and sisters throughout the world for which we are profoundly grateful. Their graciousness inspires us to continue working for the day when Christians speak up as boldly for the human rights of thousands Iraqis still detained illegally by the United States and United Kingdom.

“Such an outpouring of action for justice and peace would be a fitting memorial for Tom. Let us all join our voices on behalf of those who continue to suffer under occupation, whose loved ones have been killed or
are missing. In so doing, we may hasten the day when both those who are wrongly detained and those who bear arms will return safely to their homes. In such a peace we will find solace for our grief.

“Despite the tragedy of this day, we remain committed to put into practice these words of Jim Loney: ‘With the waging of war, we will not comply. With the help of God’s grace, we will struggle for justice. With God’s abiding kindness, we will love even our enemies.’ We continue in hope for Jim, Harmeet and Norman’s safe return home safe.”