STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF CAPTIVE MEMBERS OF CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKER TEAM
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows represents family members of those killed in the brutal attacks of 9/11. Our experience of loss has led us to call for an end to the cycle of violence and an end to the targeting and killing of civilians. We realized that the terrorism of September 11th would lead to the terrorism of war, and that these acts of violence would continue to grow until ordinary people from all nations, joining together in solidarity, recognized their common destiny and demanded an end to violent conflict. The members of the Christian Peacemaker Team are a part of this people’s movement. We ask their captors to choose the moral path and break the cycle of violence. Your compassionate action will earn you the respect of the world, and will support the efforts of ordinary people everywhere to create a safer and more peaceful tomorrow for all.
-September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
ACTION ALERT
United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) calls for the immediate release
of the four members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) being held
in Iraq.
Tom Fox, Harmeet Sooden, James Loney, and Norman Kember were taken
captive in Baghdad, Iraq on November 26, 2005. The Christian Peacemaker
Teams are well-known for their work seeking an end to war and
occupation in Iraq, Palestine, and other countries through nonviolent
means. They have clearly and publicly opposed the invasion and
occupation of Iraq. They helped alert the world to the torture of
Iraqis in U.S.-run prisons and detention centers, such as Abu Ghraib,
by interviewing Iraqi detainees and widely disseminating their stories.
The members of the CPT are neither spies nor military contractors, nor
do they work in the service of any government. They are people of
faith, but they are not missionaries. They have deep respect for the
Islamic faith and for the right of Iraqis to self-determination. For
more information on the Christian Peacemaker Teams and the four members
being held, visit http://www.cpt.org/
Holding or harming innocent people out of anger against the US
occupation–be they Iraqi or American–will achieve nothing. We appeal
to those holding these activists to release them unharmed so that they
may continue their vital work as witnesses and peaceworkers.
TAKE ACTION
We encourage all supporters of an end to the occupation of Iraq to sign
a petition calling for the release of the four captive CPT members. To
do so, visit
http://electroniciraq.net/news/index.shtml
http://www.freethecaptivesnow.org/
People of faith are encouraged to sign the Clergy and Laity Concerned About Iraq appeal at http://www.unitedforpeace.org/faith.
http://www.freethecaptivesnow.org/ has other good action ideas, from holding vigils to writing letters to Arabic language newspapers.
