Norman Kember urges the churches to embrace non-violence
-19/07/06
Christian peacemake
Norman Kember urges the churches to embrace non-violence
-19/07/06
Christian peacemaker Norman Kember, who was held hostage in Iraq for four months before being released in March 2006, has shared an account of his experience with members of the Middle East Forum of the Global Mission Network, a part of the official ecumenical body Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).
His message is that if the churches wish to make a useful contribution to resolving the worldís conflicts, many of which have a religious component, the best way to do this is to embrace and practice the non-violence which lies at the heart of the Gospel message.
Dr Kember, a retired medical professor, was held by militants along with Harmeet Sooden and Jin Loney, two Canadians, and American Tom Fox ñ who was killed in Baghdad. They were all members of a short-term visiting delegation.
CTBIís Middle East Forum brings together people in the churches and development agencies with expertise on, and concern for, the Middle East.
Dr Kember has also been speaking at the Islam Expo 2006 ñ where he thanked Britainís Muslims for the support they and Muslims across the world offered the captives. He has also addressed (in May 2006) the first major UK gathering of Christian Peacemaker Teams.
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), an ecumenical initiative founded by Mennonites and other peace church organizations, trains people to make careful interventions in situations of conflict ñ bringing together those at enmity, building up civil society, and enabling new, creative approaches to security and peace building to be developed.
ìItís a sad country,î said Norman Kember. ìIraqis are being kidnapped all the time, and do not receive all the publicity that we had.î The meeting heard, for example, about one Iraqi family who had had twenty seven members kidnapped. While all had been released, five had died as result of the experience.
Norman Kember, James Loney, Harmeet Singh Sooden and Tom Fox were captured in Baghdad on 26 November 2005. Tom Fox was killed on 10 March, two weeks before the other three were released. CPT has been in Iraq since 2002, before the US-led invasion, which it opposed.
Norman Kember, a retired radiation physicist from Pinner, west London, said that since his release he had been overwhelmed to discover the international concern for the hostages.
While the men had little news of the outside world they had felt aware of friends and family praying for them throughout the 118 day ordeal. He was encouraged by the way that Christians and Muslims had worked together to keep the hostages in the public eye. Thousands of leaflets handed out at weekly prayer vigils had encouraged prayers for Iraqi detainees and for the four missing men.
Asked what churches should be doing now, Dr Kember said: ìThe best thing the churches can do is to embrace non-violence and to encourage the government to embrace non-violence.î
He urged British and Irish Churches to continue to tell the government that the invasion was a mistake. ìEven if you think Saddam Hussain had to be toppled, there were other ways. The anti-war lobby should have put forward more positive alternatives. Everything the Coalition Forces have done has shored up the insurgency.î
Encouraged by the way that campaigning for his release had brought together peace movements and faith groups, he called on the Churches to continue to speak up for non-violence. ìThe Churches praise Martin Luther King, but they donít put what he said into practice,î he reflected.
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland helps the different Christian denominations to think, work and pray together. It is the direct successor to the old British Council of Churches and is the official ecumenical body which brings together Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant and Pentecostal traditions.
[Also on Ekklesia: UK Christian Peacemaker Teams meet to plan future; Briefing on media accusations against Christian Peacemaker Teams; Briefing on Christian Peacemaker Teams; Kember still evaluating Christian peacemaker’s role in Iraq; Birmingham inter-faith vigil for Kember and Iraq peace workers; Clarification sought from army chief on false Kember snub allegation; Supporters of Iraq captives reissue media appeals; Christians urge love of enemies in face of hostage crisis; Think tank questions ‘ungrateful peacemakers’ media allegations]
Norman Kember urges the churches to embrace non-violence
-19/07/06
Christian peacemaker Norman Kember, who was held hostage in Iraq for four months before being released in March 2006, has shared an account of his experience with members of the Middle East Forum of the Global Mission Network, a part of the official ecumenical body Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).
His message is that if the churches wish to make a useful contribution to resolving the worldís conflicts, many of which have a religious component, the best way to do this is to embrace and practice the non-violence which lies at the heart of the Gospel message.
Dr Kember, a retired medical professor, was held by militants along with Harmeet Sooden and Jin Loney, two Canadians, and American Tom Fox ñ who was killed in Baghdad. They were all members of a short-term visiting delegation.
CTBIís Middle East Forum brings together people in the churches and development agencies with expertise on, and concern for, the Middle East.
Dr Kember has also been speaking at the Islam Expo 2006 ñ where he thanked Britainís Muslims for the support they and Muslims across the world offered the captives. He has also addressed (in May 2006) the first major UK gathering of Christian Peacemaker Teams.
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), an ecumenical initiative founded by Mennonites and other peace church organizations, trains people to make careful interventions in situations of conflict ñ bringing together those at enmity, building up civil society, and enabling new, creative approaches to security and peace building to be developed.
ìItís a sad country,î said Norman Kember. ìIraqis are being kidnapped all the time, and do not receive all the publicity that we had.î The meeting heard, for example, about one Iraqi family who had had twenty seven members kidnapped. While all had been released, five had died as result of the experience.
Norman Kember, James Loney, Harmeet Singh Sooden and Tom Fox were captured in Baghdad on 26 November 2005. Tom Fox was killed on 10 March, two weeks before the other three were released. CPT has been in Iraq since 2002, before the US-led invasion, which it opposed.
Norman Kember, a retired radiation physicist from Pinner, west London, said that since his release he had been overwhelmed to discover the international concern for the hostages.
While the men had little news of the outside world they had felt aware of friends and family praying for them throughout the 118 day ordeal. He was encouraged by the way that Christians and Muslims had worked together to keep the hostages in the public eye. Thousands of leaflets handed out at weekly prayer vigils had encouraged prayers for Iraqi detainees and for the four missing men.
Asked what churches should be doing now, Dr Kember said: ìThe best thing the churches can do is to embrace non-violence and to encourage the government to embrace non-violence.î
He urged British and Irish Churches to continue to tell the government that the invasion was a mistake. ìEven if you think Saddam Hussain had to be toppled, there were other ways. The anti-war lobby should have put forward more positive alternatives. Everything the Coalition Forces have done has shored up the insurgency.î
Encouraged by the way that campaigning for his release had brought together peace movements and faith groups, he called on the Churches to continue to speak up for non-violence. ìThe Churches praise Martin Luther King, but they donít put what he said into practice,î he reflected.
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland helps the different Christian denominations to think, work and pray together. It is the direct successor to the old British Council of Churches and is the official ecumenical body which brings together Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant and Pentecostal traditions.
[Also on Ekklesia: UK Christian Peacemaker Teams meet to plan future; Briefing on media accusations against Christian Peacemaker Teams; Briefing on Christian Peacemaker Teams; Kember still evaluating Christian peacemaker’s role in Iraq; Birmingham inter-faith vigil for Kember and Iraq peace workers; Clarification sought from army chief on false Kember snub allegation; Supporters of Iraq captives reissue media appeals; Christians urge love of enemies in face of hostage crisis; Think tank questions ‘ungrateful peacemakers’ media allegations]