[CPT-UK] Update on Iraq CPTers

[Tim Nafziger]

Dear CPT UK friends,

Please keep the four missing Christian Peacemaker Teams members in your
prayers. Here's the latest update from the CPT website:

CPT confirmed on 29 November that the four human rights workers missing in
Baghdad on 26 November are associated with our organization.
Update on Missing Persons in Iraq

Wednesday, 30 November 2005, 1:00 am, Baghdad, Iraq

BAGHDAD: 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. governments 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:

<http://www.cpt.org/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album143>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.   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.



<http://www.cpt.org/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album143>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.



<http://www.cpt.org/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album143>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."



<http://www.cpt.org/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album143>Harmeet
Singh Sooden, 32 is a Canadian electrical engineer. He is studying for a
masters degree in English literature inAuckland 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.
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