06158
March 13, 2006

Religious communities mourn
U.S. peace activist killed in Iraq  

by Chris Herlinger
Ecumenical News International 

NEW YORK — Religious communities throughout the world are mourning the death of an American Christian peace activist kidnapped in Iraq in November whose body was discovered late last week by U.S. military forces in Baghdad.  

        Tom Fox, 54, a U.S. Quaker who had journeyed to Baghdad in November with three other members of a Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) brigade, apparently was tortured before he was killed, authorities said.  

        CPT issued a statement: “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.”  

        CPT was set up in 1984 by members of the Mennonite, Brethren and Quaker denominations as a faith-based group of peace activists committed to non-violent action in conflict zones. It has offices in Canada and the United States. 

        The four activists were abducted on Nov. 26.  A group calling itself the Swords of Righteousness Brigades claimed responsibility. The men were in Iraq on a mission to help Iraqi detainees. 

        The fate of the others abducted with Fox is not known. They are: Norman Kember of Great Britain, and James Loney and Harmeet Singh Sooden, both of Canada.  

        The four were last seen together on a videotape broadcast on Jan. 28 by the al-Jazeera news network. They had been threatened with death. The kidnappers said they would be released only if Iraqi prisoners held by U.S. and Iraqi authorities were released.  

        A videotape broadcast on March 7 showed three of the men, but not Fox.