click here for: Hand written letters of Support (scanned PDF documents)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STATEMENT OF LANGLEY HILL FRIENDS MEETING ON THE DEATH OF OUR
FRIEND, TOM FOX, IN IRAQ
(McLean, VA, 3/11/06) Langley Hill Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of
Friends (Quakers) mourns the passing of our beloved member Tom Fox. In the
months since the kidnapping of the four members of the Christian Peacemaker
Teams, we have held Tom, his fellow captives, and their captors in our prayers.
We express our deepest wish that the kidnappers will release Norman, Jim, and
Harmeet unharmed so that they may return safely to their families, and continue
the work of peace and understanding that CPT was undertaking in Iraq.
Tom was a member of our faith community for over 15 years. He was a former Clerk
(lay leader) of the Meeting, and loved working with children and young people.
When he last returned from Baghdad in the summer of 2005, he spent time serving
as head cook at a Quaker camp near Winchester. His death is especially hard on
the children who knew and loved him. We express our love and concern for them,
and particularly for Tom's own children who grew up in our Meeting.
In a statement of conviction Tom wrote in October 2004, he said "We reject
violence to punish anyone who harms us. We ask for equal justice in the arrest
and trial of anyone, soldier or civilian, who commits an act of violence, and we
ask that there be no retaliation on their relatives or property. We forgive
those who consider us their enemies. Therefore, any penalty should be in the
spirit of restorative justice, rather than in the form of violent retribution."
It was an act of courage for Tom to travel to Iraq, to live in an ordinary
Baghdad neighborhood, and to try to give voice to the concerns of ordinary
people with friends and family members held in prison, out of sight, and with no
avenue for communication.
The loss of Tom is personal to those of us at Langley Hill who knew and loved
him. We need to remember that personal loss has also happened to thousands of
Iraqis - indeed to tens of thousands of families around the world - who have
lost loved ones in acts of violence just in the past year. Tom's story is being
shared widely; the stories of these other losses have not been. We at Langley
Hill will honor Tom's courage by ensuring that the work to which he was
dedicated continues, and that all the stories of loss - not just Langley Hill's
- are told.
* * * * * * * * *
CONTACT: Marge Epstein, 703-525-0998, e-mail: [email protected]
In grief we tremble before God who wraps us with compassion. The death of our
beloved colleague and friend pierces us with pain. Tom Fox's body was found in
Baghdad yesterday.
Christian Peacemaker Teams extends our deep and heartfelt condolences to the
family and community of Tom Fox, with whom we have traveled so closely in these
days of crisis.
We mourn the loss of Tom Fox who combined a lightness of spirit, a firm
opposition to all oppression, and the recognition of God in everyone.
We renew our plea for the safe release of Harmeet Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman
Kember. 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 demonize others, no matter what they have done. In Tom's own words:
"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."
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, and in so
doing may we 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.
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dear Friends of Langley Hill Friends Meeting,
With you Friends in Dunedin grieve at the bitter news of the death of your
Friend Tom Fox in Iraq. Like many others worldwide, we have engaged in prayer
and hope in God's light that his kidnappers would be moved to release him and
his three companions. Please convey our love and sympathy to Tom's family and to
all those close to him.
Tom will be for ever on the glorious list of those who offered what was most
precious to them in faithfulness to their leading. He took this risk for the
sake of the peace of the world and of a just and right solution for the people
of Iraq. May God's mercy and love be with him, with all those in need or danger,
and with us all. May all those who engage in violence be set free to love.
Your Friend,
Elizabeth Duke (Clerk, Dunedin Monthly Meeting)
752 Highgate
Dunedin 9001
New Zealand
Dear Friend,
I am writing as a Co-Clerk of Westminster Preparative Meeting of Friends to send
you our loving and compassionate thoughts and prayers.
It is difficult to find the right words to write: but Friends of Westminster
Meeting will be wanting to uphold Tom Fox's family, friends and his Meeting.
May the Grace of God be with you ask you seek the spiritual strength that you
need so you can offer each other loving support at this heart-rending time.
Yours, In Loving Friendship,
Michael
Michael S Booth
Co-Clerk,
Westminster PM,
Britain Yearly Meeting.
Dear Friends,
We have heard the sad news of the death of Tom Fox today, and want to let you
know that we are thinking of you and holding you in the light. We do not know
Tom, but from all that we have read he was a wonderful peace activist, committed
to the beliefs of the Religious Society of Friends. Our thoughts are with you,
as his worshipping community.
With love,
Stephen Pittam and Jane Tod
New Earswick Preparative Meeting
York, UK
Dear Friends at Langley Hill,
I join you in grieving at the saddening news of the murder of Tom Fox. May his
courageous witness of faith and love, nurtured by the sometimes mysterious
creative-loving power that sustains us all, become a seedling that grows into a
garden of peace--the garden we all seek to grow and tend. As your prayerfulness
no doubt powerfully sustained his hope and work, may millions of prayers now
sustain you and his family. May they renew and sustain the actions of all of us
to bring deep and lasting peace where now there is war.
In love,
Rev. Mark E. Hoelter
Coordinator for Grassroots Interfaith Dialogue The InterFaith Conference of
Metropolitan Washington
Dear Friends,
Although I did not personally know Tom Fox, I wish to join with you and others
in remembering his dedication to peace, even in the face of violence. Although
his body may have been destroyed, his voice has not been silenced, and the Light
which was within him and to which he bore witness shines still and will continue
to shine brightly in the time to come.
In peace and light,
Tom Rothschild
(Brooklyn MM, Brooklyn, NY)
To the Friends at Langley -
I was at the vigil last night when the word came. The six of us were overcome
with sorrow and a grief that had no words.
I want to express my deepest sympathy to all who knew Tom Fox. I hold you, one
and all, to my heart. May each of you be comforted.
I did not know Tom Fox personally. I began praying for him as soon as I heard of
his abduction in Iraq. For me, Tom represented all that is good in the world:
love for our fellow man/woman, forgiveness, values that are testimonies for
others, values that pursue actions that relect ideals of social justice and
peace on earth, witness of God speaking in the Light where there is darkness,
and life as sacred presence - where God is in everyone.
When I came to the Langley Friends Meeting last Sunday and when I was called to
attend the vigil last night, I found that what Tom represented for me was also
present in ALL of you. That each of you carry the same vital testimony and are
pursuing values through action that reflect the ideals of social justice and
peace on earth.
I hold each of you to my heart today and in the coming days. The common values
that unite you - the promotion of social and economic justice, kindness in your
daily living, and the support of each other's search for God within are
authentic expressions of all that is good in the world.
With sincere regards,
Khari LaMarca
Dear Friends at Langley Hill Meeting,
I send you love and thanks for your work, worship and witness in the world and
for the way you have held yourselves and upheld Tom. We have regularly been
upholding you all in meeting for worship here at Woodbrooke - the Quaker college
in Birmingham, England - a number of people here know him. We will continue to
hold you and Tom's family in the light.
Bless you.
in love, friendship and peace
and with light undimmed
Lizz Roe
Woodbrooke Tutor in Practical Theology
Tom Fox Exemplified Nonviolent Activism Taught at EMU
The death announced yesterday of Tom Fox, a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams
(CPT) in Iraq, serves as a reminder of the difficulty of the nonviolent work
taught and advocated by Eastern Mennonite University
(EMU) in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, about two hours west of Washington
D.C.
At this time last year, Tom Fox was sitting in an EMU class on "strategic
peacebuilding," preparing himself for his next trip to Iraq. Before being taken
hostage in November, Fox was scheduled to return to EMU a few weeks ago to speak
on his experiences as a Christian peacemaker.
Fox's professor in the strategic peacebuilding class, Lisa Schirch, said Fox
would not want his fellow students at EMU to become discouraged by his death.
Instead, she said, "may we all find a way to renew our own personal efforts to
transform trauma, anger, fear, and sadness into something more positive."
Ruth Zimmerman, co-director of EMU's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, said
that we all have a responsibility to break the cycle of violence and vengeance
that has caused the deaths of tens of thousands in Iraq, including Tom Fox. "The
answer is not more violence, more vengeance," she said. "The answer is more
people with the courage and faith of Tom Fox to stand up and say, 'Love,
forgiveness, and restorative justice are the answers, not violent retribution.'"
Tom Fox is the first to be killed in "the line of duty" of the 2,000 peace
workers that have received training through EMU's Center for Justice and
Peacebuilding, but many others have been threatened and some have been beaten,
said Zimmerman.
EMU alumni have been following Fox's fate with close attention and much prayer.
Zimmerman said she is especially proud of EMU's Muslim alumni and visiting
professors who bravely spoke on behalf of the Christian Peacemaker Teams
hostages last December.
"Attacking and terrorizing civilians, human rights advocates, relief workers,
and peace advocates has never been an Islamic way of resisting occupation or
fighting oppression," wrote Mohammed Abu-Nimer, an American University faculty
member who also teaches most summers at EMU's Summer Peacebuilding Institute.
Khadija Ossoble Ali, a Somali Muslim who earned a masters degree in conflict
transformation at EMU in 2000, responded to news of Fox's death with this
e-mailed comment to her fellow alumni: "He was the hope for a better future for
all of us who have been kept hostage by a small minority in the name of
religion.
"May we all pray for Tom, for his bravery and courageous work and may god bless
him and give us the strength to succeed and transform our despair to a more
peaceful coexistence as human beings."
EMU President Loren Swartzendruber said: "Tom's death, while serving with
Christian Peacemaker Teams, reminds us of the tragic deaths of people of all
nationalities through senseless violence around the world."
An EMU-sponsored event will be held at 6 p.m. this evening to discuss learnings
from Fox' life and death and to collectively share our hopes for the release of
the other three CPT hostages and for the well-being of all suffering in Iraq.
Dear Friends at Langley Hill Meeting,
I send you love and thanks for your work, worship and witness in the world and
for the way you have held yourselves and upheld Tom. We have regularly been
upholding you all in meeting for worship here at Woodbrooke - the Quaker college
in Birmingham, England - a number of people here know him. We will continue to
hold you and Tom's family in the light.
Bless you.
in love, friendship and peace
and with light undimmed
Lizz Roe
Woodbrooke Tutor in Practical Theology
Dear Friends,
We’ve’ve just heard about Tom Fox, and realise that the Meeting must be going
through a great deal. May you, the family and the life of Tom Fox be held in
the Light.
In peace,
Adrian Glamorgan and Caz Bowman,
Fremantle, Western Australia
Dear Friends,
I hope you will pass my message to CPT and Langly Hill Meeting.
I was deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Tom, a person committed for Peace and Justice and Non-violence.
Yes I am sure his family and friends will miss his phisical presence, but his death was more about life than about death.Tom continued to affirm life in the midst of death and destruction. His example and witness will live in the hearts and minds of all who believe in his mission for peace.
To memoralize the victims of war and violence, let us committ our lives to work for peace and this has been Tom's Legacy.
With my deepest sympathy to his family and friends, to CPT, and to all of us .Your loss is our loss as well.
In Friendship,
Jean Zaru, Clerk, Ramallah Friends Meeting (Palestine)
I wasn't sure if this is the right address to contact but I just wanted to
add my condolences to the thousands I'm sure you've gotten from around the
world. This is not only a loss to Tom's family & your meeting, it's a loss to
the worldwide Quaker family & to peace itself. Please forward my message to the
Fox family & know that I'll continue to pray for not only the other 3 CPT
hostages but for all the hostages being held.
Susan McCook
Tacoma, WA
Dear Jim and CPT members around the world:
The Muslim community in Ada, OH, is saddened by the news of the death of CPT
member in Iraq Tom Fox. We are outraged by the kidnapping and the killing of Mr.
Fox. We are also touched by his peaceful massage, a massage that only great
people can carry. We would like to extend our condolences to all CPT members and
to the family of Mr. Fox. We greatly appreciate the CPT work and the sacrifices
of this group around the world, especially in the Islamic world. We pray that
Mr. Fox dreams come true and violence end in Iraq.
Best Regards,
Members of the Muslim Community in Ada, OH
A. F. Alhajji
S. Bazlamit
K. Al-Olimat
R. Farhad
Students in the Muslim Students Association
Dr. Subhi M Bazlamit
Department of Civil Engineering
College of Engineering
Ohio Northern University
Friends Meeting of Richmond, Va. wanted to let you know that two
representatives of the local Muslim community visited us today during worship
and expressed their deep sadness at the death of Tom Fox and honored him for his
work for peace. The visitors were Malik Khan of the Islamic Center of Va., and
M. Imad Damaj, of the Va. Muslim Coalition.
Bob Alexander,
Ministry and Worship
Friends Meeting of Richmond, VA
The members of Hopewell Centre Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of
Friends (Quakers) mourn the loss of our Friend, Tom Fox. We extend our deepest
sympathy to his family and especially his beloved children Kassie and Andrew. We
continue to pray for the safe release of the other Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT)
workers James Loney, Norman Kember and Harmeet Singh Sooden. In the months since
their capture, we have been heartened by the outpouring of support from our
community, especially from the Muslim community here in Winchester. We pray also
from the safe release of all who are being held hostage, wherever they may be.
Tom was committed to his work in Iraq and he gave his life in an attempt to
bring justice and peace to the Iraqi people. He was not naive about the dangers
he faced; he felt that this work was of utmost importance and was willing to
face those dangers with love and courage. We need to remember that our loss is
replicated every day by thousands of Iraqis whose loved ones have been kidnapped
and/or killed in the war. Peace and justice belong to them also. Although we are
grieving, we will continue to honor Tom by keeping alive in the Light the work
for which he held such passion.
Dear Friends of Langley Hill Friends Meeting,
With you Friends in Dunedin grieve at the bitter news of the death of your
Friend Tom Fox in Iraq. Like many others worldwide, we have engaged in prayer
and hope in God's light that his kidnappers would be moved to release him and
his three companions. Please convey our love and sympathy to Tom's family and to
all those close to him.
Tom will be for ever on the glorious list of those who offered what was most
precious to them in faithfulness to their leading. He took this risk for the
sake of the peace of the world and of a just and right solution for the people
of Iraq. May God's mercy and love be with him, with all those in need or danger,
and with us all. May all those who engage in violence be set free to love.
Your Friend,
Elizabeth Duke (Clerk, Dunedin Monthly Meeting)
752 Highgate
Dunedin 9001
New Zealand
Dear members of the Langley Hill Friends Meeting,
I live in California, am not a Quaker, and have been following the sad news of
Tom Fox's death. I read the paper and see news of suffering all over the world
and find myself experiencing sorrow somewhat in isolation and with my friends,
but not necessarily with those who have endured the immediacy of the loss.
But as I read yesterday of Tom's death, I have felt moved to connect with your
Meeting and extend my deepest sympathy. He seemed to be a courageous man, with
such faith to act proactively to build a world that we would actually want to
inhabit. Even though I didn't know him at all, I wanted to reach out to the
members of your Meeting. Please pass this email on to his family as well. He,
and they, are in my heart and prayers.
In sympathy,
Eve Eden
Thank you so much for your message.
Ministry in our Meeting this morning included thoughts about Tom, his children
and Langley Hill Meeting.
Parts of the press release was read after notices and many present signed a card
from our Meeting to yours which we will send in the post.
The words about remembering others' deaths was emphasized together with the
restating of commitment to the peace testimony and forgiveness.
You are all so much in our thoughts and prayers.
with love
from Jane and Stephen
Community Monthly Meeting of Cincinnati, Ohio expresses our deepest sympathy
to the family and Friends of Tom Fox. You are in our hearts and prayers. We
share in your loss; we are moved by Tom's witness. Of course, we also remember
his fellow captives and captors and all those suffering in regions of conflict
and war. We pray for the power of nonviolence and the Spirit to transform our
hatred into love.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
Deborah Jordan, Clerk
Community Monthly Meeting
I will continue to hold you, Tom's Family, CPTers and their captors in the
Light as I have done since November.
In shared sorrow and with prayers for peace,
Laura Hinerfeld
Redwood Forest Friends Meeting
Santa Rosa, CA
To: Langley Hill Friends Meeting
Dear Friends,
On behalf of the Ramallah Friends School and the Ramallah Friends Meeting, I want to express my deepest sympathies to the congregation of the Langley Hill Meeting House and to all members of the Langley Hill community for the passing of Tom Fox. I wish to also ask you to kindly relay my condolences to Tom’s family.
While none of us knew Tom personally, our entire school community is deeply saddened by this tragic loss. Tom’s opposition to oppression and spirited ambitions for justice deeply resonates among Palestinians living under occupation.
Though nothing can replace him, we hope that the world’s condolences and prayers will sustain you through these difficult times. Be assured that Tom’s deeds will always be a source of inspiration among this community and beyond.
As we hold them in the light, we also continue to pray for the safe return of the other captives and those missing, and for a peaceful conclusion to an unjustifiable war.
Sincerely,
Joyce Ajlouny
Director of Ramallah Friends School and Member of Ramallah Friends Meeting
Dear Friends at Langley Hill
It is with great sadness that we heard the news of the death of our Friend, Tom
Fox.
We affirm the courage of loving nonviolent action which Tom, Norman, Harmeet and
Jim's witness conveys so powerfully, and join you in your call to set aside
inclinations to vilify or demonise others.
We have been supporting the work of our friends and colleagues in the UK
upholding through prayer and vigils Tom, Norman, Harmeet and Jim, their captors
and all those caught in the wider tragedy within and beyond Iraq.
We hold you and Tom's family and friends in the Light and pray for you to be
granted the strength and love you need to bear this loss.
In peace and friendship
Linda Craig,
General Secretary
Quaker Peace & Social Witness
Friends,
My family and I are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of our dear
friend Tom Fox! My 10 years old could not understand that that peaceful man he
saw and came to appreciate in Springfield was brutally taken away from his loved
ones and all of us. He particularly asked me "why lives of peace workers like
Dr. King and Tom end like that?". I am still working on giving him an
appropriate response!!
Tom welcomed me and my family to his townhouse in Springfield, VA when I
accepted my position with AFSC DC. He was instrumental in keeping me at peace in
my own struggle as a newcomer, a foreigner! He reflected to us the essence of a
man of peace in his words and actions! I truly came to see that of God in me
through Tom! I remember asking him so many questions about the Society of
Friends, AFSC, Washington politics, and mostly his work in Iraq. He never
expressed any regrets for his commitment to peace for the people of Iraq because
he strongly believed in peace. I have no doubt in my mind that Tom has prayed
for all of us to continue to work for peace in the world! I will look for ways
to honor his legacy!
Peta Ikambana
Area Director
American Friends Service Committee
MAR- Washington DC Peace and Economic Justice Program
As we mourn Tom's death, we focus on his solidarity with the unnamed tens of thousands of Iraqi dead, disappeared, detained, and tortured. Christ is present in their suffering (Matthew 25). Yet, we also recognize that Tom's suffering is special because it was in voluntary obedience to Christ's call to suffer as he did to prove his love for both neighbors and enemies: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it" (Mark 8:34-35).
As evidenced by the outpouring of support and sympathy from across religious and national boundaries, Tom's life and death are a testimony to the truth of Jesus' gospel - and a challenge to all who claim to follow it. |
Dear Friends,
Friends in Canada are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Tom Fox.
It is difficult to understand what you and all who knew and loved him must be
going through. A death so apparently senseless and wrongly-motivated is
extremely hard to comprehend. Perhaps the only real comfort is that Tom, the two
Canadian CPT members - Jim and Harmeet
- and Norman all knew the dangers they were facing and had accepted them, and
they realized that if they lost their lives, it would be in the service of God
who sustains and awaits them.
Please accept our sincere sympathy, in the knowledge that our Friend Tom has
gone to dwell in everlasting Light.
In Friendship and love,
Beverly Shepard
Clerk
Canadian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
P.S. I will send a paper copy of this letter to your Meeting House for a more
tangible expression of our sorrow.
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Dear Marge,
We were greatly saddened to hear that Tom Fox had been killed in Iraq. Please
convey to the family and friends of Tom our thoughts and prayers. We hold him
and the remaining hostages in the Light.
There was already planned a peace march in London on Saturday the 18th of March
to commemorate the 3rd Anniversary of the start of the war. Before the start of
the march, some of us Quakers will hold a vigil for Tom, the remaining hostages
and all who have died in the war on the steps of St. Martins-in-the-Fields
Church, Trafalgar Square, London at 11 am.
Also, Forest Hill Friends Peace Action holds a monthly Silent Vigil for peace in
the middle-east and Iraq on the first Saturday of each month, something we have
done since May 2004. We will be dedicating this April's vigil to the memory of
Tom.
We send you our best wishes at this difficult time and also the promise that we
continue to hold you all in the Light of the Holy Spirit.
Yours in Friendship,
Hock and Julia Lim,
on behalf of Forest Hill Friends Meeting.
March 13, 2006
Doug Smith, Clerk
Langley Hill Monthly Meeting
P.O. Box 118
McLean, VA 22101
Dear Doug Smith,
New York Yearly Meeting Friends extend their deepest sympathy upon the death of your beloved Friend and member, Tom Fox. Since November, Friends throughout the Yearly Meeting have been holding Tom, his Christian Peacemaker Teams colleagues, and his captors in prayer, desiring the release and well-being of all.
Tom’s single-minded desire and commitment to live out the gospel message has been, and will continue to be, both inspiring and deeply challenging to us. We know that such radical faithfulness is not for the faint of heart. We commend and uphold you in your commitment to “honor Tom’s courage by ensuring that the work to which he was dedicated continues…” We commit to join you in this endeavor, knowing that in this way Tom’s Light shines on.
We will continue to hold Tom’s family, Langley Hill Friends and Friends throughout Baltimore Yearly Meeting in our hearts and prayers in the weeks ahead. NYYM
In the Fellowship of Peace,
Linda B. Chidsey
Clerk, NYYM
Christopher Sammond
General Secretary,
NYYM
FCNL released the following statement today:
The committee and staff of the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) mourn the death of Tom Fox, a Quaker who was a member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) in Iraq. Tom was killed last week, some one hundred days after he was kidnapped in Iraq. Tom was a member of Langley Hill Friends Meeting in Virginia and Baltimore Yearly Meeting. We hold Tom, his family, his three companions who continue to be held hostage, his other associates in the CPT and all others affected by the violence in Iraq in the Light.
As a Quaker organization, we denounce the violence and brutality of war. Equally, we repudiate those who prey upon the civilians of Iraq. We appeal to those responsible for the kidnappings to release the remaining three peacemakers - Norman Kember, James Loney and Harmeet Sooden - unharmed. We support and applaud the many, many individuals, and religious and political leaders who are working to heal the wounds of this war.
Read the Christian Peacemaker Team statement on the death of Tom Fox http://www.cpt.org/iraq/response/06-10-03statement.htm
Read the statement from Langley Hill Friends Meeting <http://www.quaker.org/langleyhill/Tomfoxpr.html>
Adirondack Friends Meeting, New York Yearly Meeting sends their condolences
to the family, and F/friends of Tom Fox. What a witness to the Light he lived
and left. The sign outside our meetinghouse expresses our sorrow and our effort
to join you in the sense of loss we all feel:
"GODSPEED,SHALOM, THANK YOU TOM FOX"
Regina Haag, for Adirondack Monthly Meeting
Just to let you know that you were all, and Tom, and his family, in our thoughts and words at our own Meeting in Hammersmith, West London, on Sunday.
You are with us, with me still, as I write this.I shall never forget Tom Fox, and how he gave his life, for the rest of my own. He has Friends, and friends, who will never forget him, ever, everywhere.
Ian Flintoff
Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quakers)
60 Lowther Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5R 1C7. Email:
[email protected]
Langley Hill Friends Meeting
P.O. Box 118
McLean, VA, USA 22101
March 14, 2006
Dear Friends,
We were greatly saddened to learn of the death of our Friend Tom Fox and we mourn with you. We extend our deepest condolences at this loss of a friend and family man.
The Christian Church has a history of martyrs who have died for their beliefs. Few are willing to die for peace. The possibilities of such dangers are spoken of in Christian Faith and Practice where we read that,
Those who proclaim non-violence as a political technique often suggest that, if carried through with utter self-denial and self-control, it may force the hand of the aggressor. We must be prepared for the possibility of it having no such positive effect and of it leading to outward defeat. Whether successful or not it will bring suffering, martyrdom and death to many. (Christian Faith and Practice, London Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, 1960, #611)
While we are aware that Tom knew and accepted the risks of the task taken on by the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), it was always our hope during this time of waiting that we would hear of his safe release. Nevertheless, this kidnapping incident has resulted in great publicity and has given a high profile to the work of the CPT. Tom’s capture and subsequent death has brought to the public an awareness of the concerns of the CPT and their reason for being.
We give thanks for Tom’s life and send our sympathy to his family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
In Friendship,
Svetlana S. MacDonald
Clerk
Canadian Friends Service Committee
Greetings,
My name is Anne Miles Granwell. ( Miles originates from my grandfather's family
in Crisfield Maryland, Somerset County, Roger Atwood Miles. The Miles go back in
Maryland history to the 1600's). Spent much of my childhood in Easton, Maryland
(Talbot County). My aunt was a Quaker who attended the Easton Friend's Meeting.
I asked to join Langley Hill because Tom Fox and what he stood for touched my
heart and soul so.
These are some 'inspirational' notes on Mr. Fox which I saved and have been
reflecting upon.
In Memorium Tom Fox, Christian Peacemaker activist, and, American hostage killed
in Iraq. "Grace be unto you, and peace, from which is, and which was, and which
is to come." Rev 1.4
"We must come from a spirit of love and compassion to help our leaders and many
of our fellow citizens come to see that if we truly love God then we must make a
drastic change of direction in the course of our country. The only way we will
gain respect is by showing it to others, even those we disagree with. The only
way we will gain love is by giving it to others, even those we disagree with.
Love of country must always be subordinate to love of God. Love of country alone
sets us on a course towards the disasters that have befallen other counties over
the centuries. Charting a new course must begin now before it is too late." Tom
Fox August 18, 2005
"The only "something in my life" I can hold onto is to do what little I can to
bring about the creation of the Peaceable Realm of God. " Tom Fox August 30,
2005
" I would pray that we all live each day, no matter where we are, "for the sake
of our children." Tom Fox June 21, 2005
"James says that, " A person's anger cannot promote the justice of God." No
matter if we succumb to anger, harden ourselves against anger or absorb anger;
none of these ways can promote the justice of God. But does that mean we are not
allowed to feel anger? James says that we need to be slow to anger and that
first we need to listen carefully, next to put some words to our feelings and
then finally express our anger. But clearly he does not say "never become
angry". However he does say that our response to anger, no matter what form it
takes, cannot promote God's justice. So then what do we do with our anger? James
says we need to turn that anger over to God and then, "Quietly accept the
messages planted in our hearts". Tom Fox March 1, 2005 (NOTE see James 1:19-22)
Mr. Fox's passing was not a 'casualty' it was statement of faith, chosen by Fox
to bear a portion of building Peace on this Earth. Mr. Fox's life was a
remarkable, significant and tremendous investment of love.
I, too, would like a little part in bringing the Peaceful Kingdom to this Earth.
Dear Tom's Family,
I would like to express my sadness and extend my heartfelt sympathy to you upon
the death of your father and family member. There is a tremendous amount of pain
and suffering that occurs in this world from just natural causes (sickness,
accidents, natural calamities, even death from old age). And then there is all
the human-caused, intentional pain and suffering from wars and other injustice.
I just want to say that in the midst of our pain let us give thanks for Tom's
courage, his inspired example and self-sacrifice given in a spirit of love and
compassion to and for our suffering brothers and sisters in Iraq. Far from
adding to the pain and suffering of others he was trying to absorb and deflect
and emasculate the violence being inflicted on a suffering people.
Will the Kingdom of God (justice and peace) spoken of in the New Testament come
about through armies, weapons and killing? The human experience of thousands of
years of warfare says no.
Tom, we feel the goodness, life and light radiating out from you. Thank you for
feeling the goodness of this world and wanting to share it. Thanks for sharing
the gifts and goodness of your life and seeing that the goodness of life can not
be shared by taking it away from some in order to give it to others.
Yours,
Greg Haas
Bloomington Friends Meeting (Bloomington, Indiana) attender
Dear Baltimore Yearly Meeting Friends,
"I am standing in the glory of the Light, said Fox."
At Langley Hill Friends Meeting, on Saturday night, gathered Friends heard a
Young Friend share these words that had been on her heart since learning of Tom
Fox's death in Iraq. I wish you could have been there to hear Young Friends and
old Friends share how brightly Tom's Light shines in their hearts.
I wish you could have been there Saturday morning to see Langley Hill Friends
stand firm in front of the microphones to share their profound messages of love
and peace. I wish you could have been at Langley Hill to see and talk with the
Muslim friends who came to share their grief, love, and support.
I wish we all could have met the elderly Palestinian man, a graduate of Ramallah
Friends School, who drove from Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, to worship for
the first time with Hopewell Centre Friends on Saturday night.
I wish we all could have heard the Young Friends of Hopewell Centre share with
each other their memories of meeting Tom for the first time.
I wish we all could have been in each other's meetings on First Day morning when
Friends who knew Tom, and Friends who barely knew Tom, and Friends who had never
met Tom all shared how his life had inspired them.
I wish we could have heard, in services around the world, pastors and priests,
imams and lay leaders, holding Tom and his peace witness in prayer.
I wish Tom's children could have heard Friends throughout Baltimore Yearly
Meeting, and throughout the world, speak of their beloved father.
I wish Tom were here with us. I wish his children had their father's physical
presence. I wish we all could have given Tom one last hug, heard his voice one
last time, and asked him the questions we have in our hearts.
These wishes can't come true. But my hopes can, and you can help.
I hope that all Friends whose lives have been touched by Tom, and all who have
heard or given messages, take time to write a letter, or send a memory, poem, or
photograph to Hopewell Centre Young Friends who have begun a book for Tom's
children. Please send your contributions to Anne Bacon, immediate past clerk of
Hopewell Center and current Young Friends' teacher, at [email protected] or to
her home at 433 Marion St, Winchester, VA 22601.
If you have questions, call Anne at 540-662-5613.
I hope that we share our memories of Tom widely with one another, that we sit
and listen to one another talk about Tom, and that we engage in the ministry of
presence, of being there for one another.
I hope that we listen, learn from, and care for our Junior Young Friends and our
Young Friends who knew Tom and who have much to share and much to grieve.
I hope we hug one another more.
I hope we learn to cultivate joy in the face of sadness. I know we are big
enough vessels for Divine Love that we can hold joy and grief at the same time.
I hope we celebrate the Light of Christ that was evident in Tom's life.
I hope that we work to persuade the U.S. Congress, in continuation of Tom's work
with Christian Peacemaker Teams, to approve legislation requiring the release of
names and locations of all Iraqi detainees held by the U.S.
Expect to hear from Langley Hill Friends about this effort.
Finally, I hope we gather in silent vigil next Saturday, March 18, 2006, the
third anniversary of the Iraq War, on the East Lawn of the Capitol, behind the
banner that reads, "Seek Peace and Pursue It" (Psalm 34:14). Last year, on the
second anniversary of the war, 500 people attended this silent vigil.
Begun by Langley Hill Friends three and a half years ago after 9/11, this weekly
vigil now attracts people of many faiths. I hope many Baltimore Friends, and our
friends, will stand together in our nation's capital this year, in memory of
Tom, to witness to peace. More information about the vigil can be found at:
http://www.bym-rsf.org/quakers/news/peaceVigil0318.shtml
Some of you have heard my memory of Tom standing waist-deep, playing with the
children, in the creek at Wilson College during Yearly Meeting. This past First
Day, worshiping at Hopewell Centre Meeting where Tom lived between visits to
Iraq, I heard a message from Tom. He waved cheerfully and said, "Come on in. The
water's fine."
The Living Water, the River of Light, is there for us. Tom lived in the presence
of the Divine . and the Divine Light shone through him. He surrendered his life
to the guidance of Christ Jesus. We can do the same.
We can let go of fear. We can let go of material possessions. And we can
experience the joy, the calm, the peace, and the integrity of living our
testimonies fully.
"Open My Eyes, that I may see,
Glimpses of Truth thou hast for me,
Place in my hands the wonderful key,
That shall unclasp, and set me free."
Though Tom was captive, he was free. He had the key to freedom and he offers it
to us. Let us open our hearts, open our ears, seek God's Will, wait for
guidance, and remember,
"What shall I fear while yet thou dost lead?
Only for Light from thee I plead." *
In Reverence and Praise,
Lauri Perman
Presiding Clerk
Baltimore Yearly Meeting
of the Religious Society of Friends
CPTnet
14 March 2006
IRAQ REFLECTION: "Tom, we will greatly miss you."
by Peggy Gish
"If I understand the message of God, we are here to take part in the creation of
the peaceable Realm of God. And that is to love God with all our heart, our mind
and our strength and to love our neighbors and enemies as we love God and
ourselves," Allan Slater read during our memorial service
for Tom at a local church in Baghdad. We selected the reading from a
reflection Tom Fox had written days before he was kidnapped. At the front of the
church was a large picture of Tom, a bouquet of fresh flowers and lit candles.
"Tom was very clear that if any harm came to him he did not want anyone to act
out of revenge or ill will. He calls us to follow Jesus' example of loving and
praying for those labeled enemy," I said as part of the beginning tribute to
Tom. When it came to the part about Tom's captivity for over 100 days and his
death, the words were harder to get out.
It was rewarding to see in the church the caring faces of so many Iraqis that
had loved Tom. There were members of the congregation, some Christian neighbors,
and Muslim friends and colleagues.
The assembled sang a version of the song, "Be Thou My Vision," that Tom had
liked.
Maxine read excerpts from another of Tom's writing. He spoke of his struggle to
not let rage take over, become numb, or turn away from the pain he encountered,
but to learn compassion while staying with that pain.
On Friday, the day after we learned of Tom's death, we had to decide whether to
go ahead with or cancel two meetings scheduled at our apartment. One was to link
leaders from the Muslim Peacemakers Taskforce (MPT) in Najaf with a Sunni human
rights organization in Baghdad. They were forming a coalition between Shi'a,
Sunni, Christian, and Kurdish organizations to work to prevent sectarian
violence. The second was to link MPTers with Palestinian Iraqis whose lives are
under daily threat and are asking for accompaniment to travel to one of Iraq's
borders. While emotionally it was very hard for us to host these meetings, it
seemed important to do so.
The news of Tom's death hit us hard. We grieve--especially for Tom's family.
We also continue to celebrate Tom's life as we remember his words and his work
to end all forms of violence. It does not take away the sorrow, but it helps
remind us why we are here and why Tom kept returning to Iraq and was willing to
give up his life.
Our memorial service tribute to Tom ended with the words we heard expressed by
so many Iraqis in the past three days: "Tom, we will greatly miss you."
Swarthmore Friends of Britain Yearly Meeting spoke lovingly of Tom Fox at our MM on Saturday March 14th. His death is a great loss to us all in the world family of Quakers and to all lovers of peace and justice.
From “Blessings” by Mary Craig
“ O’ Lord remember not only the men and women of good will but also those of ill will. But do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted on us; remember the fruits we bought thanks to that suffering – our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart which have grown out of this; and when they come to judgement, let all the fruits which we have borne be their forgiveness”
We hold Tom’s family and all his fellow worshippers in the Light.
In peace and
friendship,
Marie Hay
Co-Clerk
(Swarthmore MM)
CPTnet
16 March 2006
IRAQ: A letter from Cindy Sheehan to Tom Fox's family
13 March 2006
To the family of Tom Fox and to the Christian Peacemaker Teams:
My heart is breaking for Mr. Fox's family and for the world. This is a dark day
for peace and justice. The loss of a man of the stature of Tom Fox and the loss
of his voice for peace and reconciliation is a tragedy for our country which
operates so often from a paradigm of violence. Every voice for peace is
imperative and needed.
I am always told that I am brave, but what I do pales weakly in comparison with
the actions of Tom Fox and the Christian Peacemakers who put their actual lives
on the line everyday to make the world a better place and to save lives of our
brothers and sisters who are in danger.
Jesus said: "To give up one's life for a friend, there is no greater love than
this," (John 15:13). This is the same Gospel passage that was read at my son
Casey's funeral. Jesus went on to say that it is even more sacred to give up
your life for people you don't even know.
Tom lived his life out of his moral center and gave freely of his life to save
lives of people he would probably never meet.
Now, the world is begging for the safe release of the other three Christian
Peacemakers who are still held hostage. The way to peace is not violence.
The way to peace is only through peace and a respect for all life. The killing
of Tom Fox does nothing to foster peace in the Middle East but can be used for a
renewed call for the immediate withdrawal of all coalition troops from Iraq so
the people of Iraq can rebuild their lives and their country. So the killing of
innocents and our American troops can stop.
I did not want my son's death to be exploited to justify more deaths in Iraq and
I am sure Tom and his family would agree. It is past time for the cycle of
violence and killing to stop.
It is time for we peacemakers and peace activists from around the world to join
our hands and our voices together to demand an end to the violence and killing.
Tom Fox and his selfless sacrifice for humanity make me proud to be a human
being. I just wish such a holy act of sacrifice was not necessary or required of
Tom.
Tom is at peace now, I pray for this peace for Tom's family and for our world.
In Peace and Solidarity,
Cindy Sheehan and Gold Star Families for Peace
A peacemaker's last full measure
By Peggy Senger Parsons
UPI Religion & Spirituality
Published March 13, 2006
He was one of us - a Quaker - a member of the Religious Society of Friends.
I didn't know him personally, although I have known several people who have
worked with Christian Peacemaker Teams. However, personal knowledge is not
required for me to know this man. He embodied the testimonies we hold dear.
He was a man changed by timeless truth, and being changed himself, he changed
the world around him. Not content to just know the truth, he acted upon it.
My favorite thing about Tom was what he did during the Vietnam War. Unable, by
conscience, to fight, he did not head for Canada - he did not go to jail.
Instead he joined the Marine Band, and played his clarinet for them for 20
years. If I have my time and place right, he would have been playing "Hail to
the Chief" for a president he mightily disagreed with. Some would see this as a
contradiction or a compromise. I see it as witness to a thing we Quakers hold to
be true. You can be present to the people you most disagree with. This is what
it means to live out the Sermon on the Mount; to walk the extra mile; to stay
engaged with someone even if it means getting your other cheek slapped.
This is why Tom went to Iraq - to be present to people - to join them physically
in their trouble. He lived and worked for two years living in a regular Baghdad
neighborhood without guards or guns. I saw Anderson Cooper react on camera the
other night, as he interviewed the clerk of Tom's Quaker meeting. "He lived
outside the green zone without a guard!?" Yes, Anderson, he did. He taught
peacemaking. He acted as an intermediary between incarcerated Iraqis and their
families. He made Friends. He was a non-anxious presence to occupier, insurgent,
and to the people caught in the middle.
"For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my own life - to take
it back again. No one takes it away from me. On the contrary, I lay it down
voluntarily. I have set it aside." (John 10:17-18)
Tom Fox's life was not taken from him. Tom Fox laid his life down a long time
ago. He surrendered it into the hands of the Divine. Because he knew it was safe
there, he was able to walk unbound by fear, letting the Light within him control
and impel him forward into the work of peace. Tom's life was safe in the hands
of God before he went to Baghdad, it was safe in Baghdad, it was safe in
captivity and it is safe now. The loss is ours to bear. But it is a temporary,
perceptual loss. For we have also put our lives into the hands of the Divine,
and so our lives and his remain together.
Tom did not fail in his task. I am sure that many of the tears shed this weekend
were Iraqi tears. I am sure that many of the prayers that have been spoken have
been spoken in languages other than English. I am certain that Tom had some
effect on his captors, even if we do not see it. I am certain that his life will
inspire a hundred others to pick up his work around the world. Task Completed.
Mission Accomplished. "Thee was faithful."
We pray and hope for Norman, Harmeet and James. We dedicate ourselves to their
work.
About the author: Peggy Senger Parsons is a motorcycling Quaker preacher,
counselor and free lance provocateur of grace. She is pastor of Freedom
Friends Church (http://www.freedomfriends.org/) in Salem, Oregon. ©
copyright 2006 by Peggy Senger Parsons. Published on UPI Religion & Spirituality
Forum website.
I’m one of hundreds of people touched by the work of the Christian
Peacemakers Team. One member, Sheila Provencher, is from our community in South
Bend, Indiana. We’ve known of Tom through Sheila’s testimonials, emails and
blogs.
I was so deeply saddened to hear of Tom’s death. He and the other kidnapped CPT
members have been in my prayers for these many months. I can only imagine the
deep sense of loss felt by your Meeting and community.
I subscribe to the Indian Country News, and in their obit pages, they use the
language of "walking on" which I like very much. I imagine Tom walked on with
the same grace and love that carried him through this life. He seemed to be
among those few people who had achieved the ability to transcend the duality of
right and wrong, and just be a loving, gentle presence with other wounded
beings.
Please extend my deepest condolences to his family and particularly his
children. I hope that the deep admiration and appreciation of their father’s
sacrifice by so many people like myself can be some balm for their wounds. Even
in death, he continues to heal, reminding us to love our captors and enemies, to
hate only violence that continues to divide and distort the beauty of our world.
Peace,
Bonnie Bazata
1728 Wilber St.
South Bend, IN 46628
Friends,
Our next-door neighbor Dorothy B. McCormick delivered this letter to us this
morning:
March 12, 2006
To My Friends at the Langley Hill Meeting,
For 34 yers I have been fortunate to have the best neighbors at the Langley Hill
Meeting that anyone could ask for. Kindness, understanding and a willingness to
be cooperative in every way has been characteristic of all my relationships with
the Langley Friends over the past 34 years......
I am writing now to express my sympathy to all friends at the Langley Hill
Meeting on the death of Tom Fox who was kidnapped and slain on his peace mission
to Iraq.
I was comforted, proud and inspired by Tom's statement, composed a year before
his kidnapping, imploring that no "violent force" be used if he was taken
captive and that they "forgive those who consider us their enemies".
Developing the ability to forgive is a gift the Friends have helped us all
understand and appreciate. Tom Fox's words above illustrate the strength and
peace shown by his sacrifice.
Thank you all for being such good friends and neighbors,
Dorothy McCormick
Founding Director, Retired
Country Day School
March 15, 2006
Dear Friends at Langley Hill Meeting,
On behalf of the Pendle Hill community I write to express our grief at Tom Fox's
death, our condolences to all of you who knew him, and our gratitude for his
life-witness to the power of love in the world.
As we seek to live and grow here by this same power, we are re- awakened,
challenged and changed by his witness.
May we be faithful, as Tom has been faithful, to the call of peace.
In Love's Light,
Ken Jacobsen
Interim Director
Pendle Hill
Dear Friends,
It was a shock to hear of Tom Fox's death, and we of Grass Valley Monthly Meeting (Nevada City, CA) want to extend our deepest condolences to you and to offer our profound thanks for your support of his work. It was some comfort to know that today we were one of many congregations around the planet who held Tom Fox, his family and friends in the Light of our thoughts and prayers. We look across the peace-making communities of our nation and recognize that there are so many Tom Foxes out there -- everyday people taking real risks to bring about peace. The loss of Tom Fox reminds us of the hidden resources living and working in the most inconspicuous of places.
We are humbled by Tom Fox's witness for peace, and acknowledge that if there were as many people standing up for true peace as advocating for war, there would have been no occasion for Friend Fox to be in harm's way.
We mourn the loss of Tom Fox and of all those swept up in this and other wars
and we pray for the safe return of his Christian Peacemaking Team. The example
of Tom Fox and others like him speaks volumes to the question, "If war is not
the answer, what is?" Please know that you are held deeply in the Light by many.
Where one falls, may a thousand bloom.
Warmest regards,
Chamba Cooke, Clerk Grass Valley Monthly Meeting
Chamba Cooke, Clerk
Grass Valley Friends Meeting
13075 Woolman Lane
Nevada City, CA 95959-9700
(530) 477-9228
[email protected]
Last in a Round of Bullets
by Lisa Schirch
Bullets travel in circles - one side fires, another side reciprocates. Tom Fox's
body was the final resting place for a long line of bullets in Iraq.
American soldiers wield guns to support democracy and freedom. Saddam Hussein's
forces used the power of the gun to terrorize civilians and threaten neighboring
countries and the U.S. Those who killed Tom are part of the Iraqi insurgency and
have their own reasons for wielding guns. If we understand their story we have a
better chance of preventing more deaths.
The number of people joining the insurgency continues to grow in direct
correlation with mounting anger toward the U.S. According to a recent poll,
nearly half of Iraqis now support insurgency attacks on U.S. forces.
They are outraged at the ongoing destruction and occupation of their country.
Iraqis lament the almost total abandonment of reconstruction, community
development, and grassroots diplomacy efforts that would build the foundation
for their security.
Insurgents target Americans because they are angry at the illegal detentions of
innocent Iraqi people, the widespread torture in prisons in Iraq, and the use by
American forces of a chemical weapon, white phosphorous, that killed and burned
innocent families who were in the way in Fallujah. The insurgents are mainly
Sunni Muslims who are the minority and fear being left out of the new political
context.
Guns are a short term solution, whether in the hands of dictators, insurgents,
or militaries. Saddam Hussein could not hold onto power through his brutal use
of the gun. The Coalition Forces deposed him with guns, but military power
cannot defeat the insurgency. Guns have no power to win the peace.
The more the U.S. has shifted its focus to fighting the insurgency rather than
reconstructing Iraq, the more the insurgents have been able to recruit new,
unemployed young men with little hope for the future to join them. When I was in
Iraq in August, I heard many stories from Iraqi community development workers
about the direct relationship between unemployment and insurgent recruitment.
When there is little hope for this life, people begin imagining using the gun to
gain martyrdom in preparation for the next life.
Each one who picks up a gun believes bullets will create their desired end. But
instead of bending the will of their opponents, bullets only harden the other's
resolve to keep fighting. No amount of overwhelming force can bring an end to
the violence in Iraq. More guns will only make the situation worse.
History suggests that terrorism disappears in the absence of the fuel of
economic and political desperation. The U.S. needs the courage and leadership to
work in partnership with the international community to invest in long-term
solutions of reconstruction, development, and grassroots diplomacy among the
ethnic and religious groups in Iraq. We need to diligently support those
undertaking grassroots diplomatic efforts across Iraq. Development and
diplomatic tools can prevent and curb the growth of the insurgency.
Bullets ended Tom's life. But they have not crushed his vision for a just peace
in Iraq nor the inspiration he offers the living to join in the cause of ending
the war in Iraq. Tom was in Iraq to end the cycle of bullets among Saddam
Hussein's forces, the Coalition Forces, and the insurgents. His body, his
writings, and his work for peace all aimed for that end. There should be no
bullets in reciprocation for those that rest in Tom. We need a different path
out of Iraq.
Thousands of people like Tom Fox risk their lives everyday around the world to
oppose dictators through nonviolent actions, to document human rights
violations, and to build relationships across the lines of conflict.
There are many people willing to give their lives for war. There need to be more
people who give their lives for peace.
Dear Friends,
We attended a moving Monthly Meeting at Ambleside in Cumbria last Saturday. The
Clerk was asked to send you all a message of sympathy following the tragic death
of Tom Fox. I have attached the message herewith.
In peace and love,
Don Hay
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Swarthmore Friends of Britain Yearly Meeting spoke lovingly of Tom Fox at our MM
on Saturday March 14th. His death is a great loss to us all in the world family
of Quakers and to all lovers of peace and justice.
From "Blessings" by Mary Craig
" O' Lord remember not only the men and women of good will but also those of ill
will. But do not remember all the suffering they have inflicted on us; remember
the fruits we bought thanks to that suffering - our comradeship, our loyalty,
our humility our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart which have
grown out of this; and when they come to judgement, let all the fruits which we
have borne be their forgiveness"
We hold Tom's family and all his fellow worshippers in the Light.
In peace and friendship,
Marie Hay
Co-Clerk
(Swarthmore MM)
Dear Langley Friends Meeting,
I’m one of hundreds of people touched by the work of the Christian Peacemakers
Team. One member, Sheila Provencher, is from our community in South Bend,
Indiana. We’ve known of Tom through Sheila’s testimonials, emails and blogs.
I was so deeply saddened to hear of Tom’s death. He and the other kidnapped CPT
members have been in my prayers for these many months. I can only imagine the
deep sense of loss felt by your Meeting and community.
I subscribe to the Indian Country News, and in their obit pages, they use the
language of "walking on" which I like very much. I imagine Tom walked on with
the same grace and love that carried him through this life. He seemed to be
among those few people who had achieved the ability to transcend the duality of
right and wrong, and just be a loving, gentle presence with other wounded
beings.
Please extend my deepest condolences to his family and particularly his
children. I hope that the deep admiration and appreciation of their father’s
sacrifice by so many people like myself can be some balm for their wounds. Even
in death, he continues to heal, reminding us to love our captors and enemies, to
hate only violence that continues to divide and distort the beauty of our world.
Peace,
Bonnie Bazata
1728 Wilber St.
South Bend, IN 46628
Dear Howard Fullerton,
I have been asked by Norwich and Lynn Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society
of Friends to convey to you our sadness at the death of Tom Fox. Tom was held in
our thoughts and prayers at our Monthly Meeting in Norwich last Saturday. We
also held in our thoughts Tom's family and friends, those who took his life and
those who contributed to the creation of the situation in which Tom's life
ended.
Yours in Friendship,
Peter Smith
Norwich and Lynn representative
Meeting for Sufferings,
Britain Yearly Meeting.
To Friends of Langley Hills Friends Meeting
Dear Friends,
Colorado Springs Friends Meeting has been following with concern and love the
events in Baghdad since the taking of four CPT members on November 26. We are
deeply aware of these events and deeply affected by the martyrdom of Tom Fox
especially because two of our members, our Clerk Bill Durland and his wife
Genie, are members of CPT, have worked in Iraq and Palestine and met Tom when he
was in training.
In addition, two of our members have fond memories of their past association
with your meeting - Bill Durland in the early 70s and Jonathan McPhee in the
summer of 2004. Our hearts go out to you.
We wish to extend our sympathy and condolences on the loss of Tom from your
fellowship. We embrace his witness as an example for us all and we have faith
that the seeds he planted in both life and death will bear fruits of peace and
justice far beyond our ability to comprehend.
Please know that we are holding you all in the Light.
Bill and Genie Durland
Ann Grant Martin
Lisa Lister
Lisa Beckrich
Sarah Callbeck
Deb Chitwood, and Will and Christian Chitwood
Jonathan McPhee
Carlton Gamer
Sarah Callbeck
Molly Wingate
Linda Seger
Peter LeVar
Dear Friends of Langley Hill Friends Meeting,
Friends Meeting of St. Petersburg (FL) wishes to convey deep sympathy to your
Meeting and through you, to his family and the wider Quaker community, for the
tragic death of Tom Fox. It is our hope that the cause to which he was so commited--that of peace through nonviolence--will be ultimately strengthened as
the loss is so widely mourned.
It seems clear that Tom had role models which likely included Jesus of Nazareth,
Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tom Fox is added to our list of
role models.
Why presume to say it differently? In Tom's own words, we offer, "We hope that
in loving both friends and enemies and by intervening non-violently to aid those
who are systematically oppressed, we can contribute in some small way to
transforming this volatile situation."
May we each and all learn from Tom Fox.
In the Light,
Lin Jorgenson, clerk
Friends Meeting of St. Petersburg
The Death of Tom Fox and the Life of Christianity
Tom Fox went to Iraq to make peace and last week his murdered body was found in
a garbage dump in Baghdad. On the surface of it, his mission would seem to be a
sad failure. Jesus of Nazareth tried to teach all people to love God with all
their hearts and to love their neighbors as they love themselves and after 2000
years more hateful wars have been launched in his name than in any other cause.
On the surface, his teaching would not seem to have been very successful. But
the whole truth is not always found on the surface of things. Mr. Fox's faith
and works prove that Christ's mission is yet alive in the hearts of God's
children and that despite millennia of perversion, there is hope yet to redeem
Christianity.
Jesus' central message was love, but the example of his life and of his death
tells us more than that. To love God and truth and mankind openly and fearlessly
is to assume a great risk, and that risk can entail huge sacrifice. The
Christian Peacemaker Teams of which Tom Fox was a member understand and accept
that risk and are willing to make huge sacrifices. About 40 CPT members are now
in Iraq working for peace, three are hostages under threat of death, one is
dead. All have done what they believe God asked them to do: comfort the
oppressed, speak out for justice, witness for the truth, forgive their enemies,
trust not in weapons and earthly powers but in healing power of love.
Fox was a Quaker, a form of Christian who believes that Christ's teaching is an
expression of God's love that is a gift to each and every individual person on
earth and that gift requires no priests, ministers, churches, books, songs,
rituals, oaths, creeds, donations or militias to deliver it. It is a gift that
does not require that you know Jesus' name, read "his" book, or join "his"
religion. All Jesus asks is that you love God with all your heart and love your
neighbors as you love yourself. For this reason Tom Fox was in Iraq helping to
organize Muslim Peacemaker Teams without any thought of converting them to
Christians, because that would be merely changing the name of God while God's
character and His Will does not change. When they were kidnapped, a great number
of voices around the world rose in chorus to ask for their release, loudest and
most numerous of those voices were Muslim voices begging, demanding the freedom
of these Christian men. A cynical political posture? A proof that the CPT are
tools of radical Islam? No, just proof of the effect of their love even in a
violent, hate filled world: the effect of peacemaking. If one Palestinian
radical, if one U. S. Marine, resists his leaders' call to violence and refuses
to pull the trigger because of Tom's example, that is a victory for God and for
Tom Fox.
Pacifists have always been exposed to the accusation that they are people who
stay home in safety and condemn war while others go off and face mortal danger
to protect the freedom and wellbeing of pacifists.
If this is true, and it very often is, then pacifists cannot succeed in
ending war. Only by assuming the same risks as soldiers in the same numbers as
soldiers can the non-violent hope to demonstrate an alternative to warfare. Like
the Christian Peacemakers, tens of thousands of others have gone to Iraq,
Afghanistan and other war zones to try to improve this world despite danger to
themselves. The courage and sacrifice of soldiers is very real, but the hope of
that bravery and the fruit of that sacrifice is cheated because they have been
sent with the wrong tools in their hands. The tools of war are bombs, bullets
and lies. If the objective of this war were really to free Iraqis, rebuild their
country, improve their future, we would have to lay aside the tools of war
because the first act of love is show trust and trust implies vulnerability. The
invulnerable cannot love any more than the uncrucified can save.
In Iraq our soldiers live in fear and want more armor, often shooting anyone who
approaches them. At home our American people live in fear and seek anxiously for
security; unwilling to accept any risk ,we seem to crave invulnerability,
reluctant to make any sacrifice. In short we are become a nation of Anti-Christs.
Religion has always betrayed God, and no less so now than in the time of Jesus.
False Christians now lead us in a sham crusade against false Muslims who wage a
fraudulent holy war in return. They understand nobody's religion, least of all
their own, God is ever on their lips but blood is on their hands.
Fox's destiny was not to change history as Jesus did or challenge an empire like
Gandhi or lead a people out of oppression like Martin Luther King. Mr. Fox was a
small voice, usually drowned out by the blaring noise of politicians, talk-show
hosts and televangelists, a small voice speaking the truth and backing up his
words with actions.
Like these other men and like many men and women throughout time, he was killed
by those who rejected his message of love. We may never know what passed between
him and his captors and killers at the end, but it is reasonable to think that a
man who stopped Israeli bulldozers with his body would continue his ministry to
the end. He was a lucky man, that God so loved and blessed him.
Thanks to Tom Fox, I am no longer ashamed to call myself a American and a
Christian, but I am ashamed I have risked so little for God and my fellow man.
Tom Fox, peace activist, was born on July 7, 1951. His body was found on March 9, 2006, aged 54.
Tom Fox was turned into a peace activist by the events of September 11, 2001. Fox, who was born in Dayton, Tennessee, in 1951 and was running a wholesale grocers in Washington when the suicide bombers struck, had been a Quaker since his youth and spent the next 20 months deeply contemplating how he should react to the attacks. In August 2004 he gave up his job to become a full-time worker for the Toronto-based Christian Peacemaker Teams.
Fox specifically asked to be sent to Iraq and, after undergoing training, arrived in Baghdad in late September 2004. He lived and worked with other CPT activists, taking statements about the abuse of Iraqi detainees by coalition soldiers, meeting Sunni and Shia leaders, working with refugees and children in schools, helping to set up a Muslim peacemaker team and sending back reports on the situation in Iraq to people in the West, especially North America.
A frequent visitor to the PCT volunteers’ flat was Margaret Hassan, an British-born Muslim charity worker who had lived in Baghdad for 25 years. A month after Fox arrived, she was kidnapped and is presumed to have been murdered.
In October 2005 Fox, along with his British colleague Norman Kember and Canadians James Loney and Harmeet Singh Sooden, was seized by gunmen. Over the next few months the kidnappers released a series of videos showing the hostages and accusing them of being spies.
There were widespread appeals for their release, including from a terrorism suspect held in a British jail and a former Guantanamo Bay detainee. However, hopes for the men’s survival lessened as the months went on and on March 7, 2006, a video was broadcast showing three of the hostages but not Fox. Two days later his body was found in a blanket dumped near a road in western Baghdad. He had been shot and possibly beaten.
Dear Friends,
At our Meeting for Business on March 12, Haverford Monthly
Meeting approved the minute below in regard to the tragic death of Tom Fox.
Since she is out of the country currently, the Clerk of our Meeting, Martha
Sharples, asked me to send the minute to your Meeting.
The Meeting approved a Minute of Condolence to Langley Meeting for Tom Fox, who
was killed in Iraq. We share in their deep sense of loss of Tom Fox and we
celebrate his life and what he was trying to do in Iraq. Peacemaking is costly,
and it is the tradition of Friends to bear the price of nonviolent advocacy. We
thank Tom for bringing the light of peace to troubled places, and we hold you in
the light.
In Peace,
Richard Siebels
Dear Friends
I have just returned home from our meeting's memorial service for Tom Fox.
Sixteen Friends sat in expectant silence this evening. Your epistle and minute
asking us to help continue Tom's work was read and through the following hour or
so of the meeting Friends rose and spoke on the need for Friends everywhere to
follow their leadings and to work for peace even in small ways. One recounted
her vigil on March 17, 2006. All left the meeting with copies of the epistle and
will write letters. Your minute will be read during our announcements at next
firstday's meeting for worship. Thank you for giving us a way to continue Tom's
work for peace and justice.
Jim Orben
Lehigh Valley Friends Meeting
PO Box 20827
Lehigh Valley, PA 18002-0827
I am the daughter of Tom Fox. My father made a choice to travel to Iraq and
listen to those who are not heard. He meets with families who are missing loved
ones. He has spent most of his time in Iraq trying to free detainees. I did not
want my father to go to a country where his American citizenship could
potentially overshadow his peaceful reasons for being there. But this is who my
father is. He is deeply committed to a peaceful resolution to these issues. He
is there because the Iraqi people are not being heard and are, so often, not
supported. I feel as if this has to be a mistake that he has been taken. He is
there only shed light on the experiences of each Iraqi he meets. He is there to
help. Peacefully, respectfully and completely.
He tells me of how well he has been welcomed by the families he has met. The
graciousness, mercy and compassion he has experienced in the country is
something he often mentions when we speak. Neighbors come to visit and bring
food and kindness. He is moved by the warmth of the people he has met.
In pictures, in video, my dad looks so tired right now. So very tired. I do not
care to imagine. I struggle to even find the space to experience my own
emotions.
I want to be able to communicate just how loved my father is, but more than
that, I just want to hug him. I want to find a way to give him back the strength
he has given me.
I want to show him how much the peace in his heart has inspired me and helped me
find my way in life.
My dad has always been a wanderer. He believes that the real purpose of travel
is to experience environments different than our own. When my brother and I were
little, our family would visit a different city every year. We took trains or
buses and once there, traveled by foot as often as possible. We tried new food
and went to museums. We got lost on purpose so that we were able to learn a new
way back. As children, my brother and I did not always see the value in this,
but my father was teaching us to see opportunity in every step, planned or
otherwise. My dad loves the outdoors - when we travel as a family, we always
visit the parks; on weekends he takes us hiking in the Appalachian mountains.
Each time my father returns from Iraq, he visits the same mountain in Virginia.
This is his way to center himself and rejuvenate, to find the calm and peace
that he hopes to impart to others.
My dad wasn't a Marine, he was a musician. He politely refuses military
discounts. He practiced his clarinet every day and once my brother and I began
to play instruments, he encouraged us to do the same. He still carries with him
the rhythm of that life. He still enjoys the music of language. As he travels,
he brings a recorder with him so that he can always express the music that is in
his heart.
But above all else, my father is a listener. Even when no one is speaking. He
values the honesty of silence. And when he speaks, there is respect and kindness
in his voice, a strength that stands in quiet testimony to the life he has
chosen to lead.
I love my father. I am so thankful to have been raised by such a loving, honest,
gentle man who continues to teach me the importance of living by my principles.
He is my support and my guide. I need him safe and with me again.
I will continue to hold him and everyone that he is with in the Light and pray
for a peaceful resolution. Please let him go. I need him home.
To: My Muslim and Interfaith Community brothers and sisters
From: Judy Agard, a Quaker and member of the Northern Virginia Women’s
Interfaith Fellowship
Tom Fox, who was kidnapped in Iraq where he was serving as a member of the
Christian Peacemaker Team, is a member of the Langley Hill Friends (Quakers)
Meeting in McLean, Virginia, and a long-time friend.
Tom was kidnapped by a group that called themselves the Swords of Righteousness
on November 26th when he and the other Christian Peacemaker Team members were on
their way to a meeting with a Muslim leader to represent families of imprisoned
Iraqis.
I am praying for his safe return and for the return of the other members of the
Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq who were taken. I am also asking for your help
in contacting Muslims and Arabs in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries who
might be helpful in securing Tom’s release and the release of the other
Peacemaker members.
I have prepared this letter so that you can understand what kind of person Tom
was and the work that he was doing with the Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq
and so that you can be assured that he was not a spy.
Tom Fox has been a Quaker for almost 25 years, and is committed to actively
working for peace because as he said: “Too many are willing to die for war and
too few are willing to die for peace.”
Tom is the father of two college-age children. His daughter has written that she
is “so thankful to have been raised by a loving, honest, gentle man who
continues to teach me the importance of living by my principles. His belief that
peaceful resolutions can be found to every conflict has been tested time and
again, but he remains committed to that ideal, heart and soul.”
For 20 years he was a clarinetist with the U.S. Marine band, a position that
provided him an alternative to being drafted; however he never received any
military training and never even learned how to use a weapon. When he retired
from the U.S. Marine band, he worked in grocery store management until he
decided to join the Christian Peacemaker Teams.
Christian Peacemaker Teams, a non-governmental organization founded in 1986, has
had a Peacemaker Team active in Iraq since 2002. The Iraq Team focuses on
documenting and focusing public attention on detainee abuses, connecting
citizens of Iraq to local and international human rights organizations and
establishing communication and joint projects with other Muslim peace
organizations. The Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq was among the first to
document and expose the abuses at Abu Graib and other U.S. operated prisons and
detention centers in Iraq. Christian Peacemaker Teams hold sincere and profound
religious and spiritual beliefs but are not missionaries and do not proselytize.
You can learn more about the organization from their Website www.cpt.org.
Tom’s work with the Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq involved meeting with
Iraqi individuals and families to document the stories of their lives so that
everyone would learn of the horrible effects of war on ordinary Iraqi civilians.
He also was involved in the development of Muslim Peacemaker Teams bringing
together both Shia and Sunni Muslims to work for peace and justice. One joint
project conducted by the Muslim Peacemaker Team and the Christian Peacemaker
Team was to assist in the cleanup of Fallujah. Tom reported on his work and his
experiences in an on-line blog http://waitinginthelight.blogspot.com/
Tom was aware of the danger he faced. In an e-mail he wrote in October, 2004, he
said that he was aware of the many risks both Iraqis and internationals
currently face but he was convinced that the risks, while significant, did not
outweigh his purpose in remaining. He rejected the use of violent force to save
his life should he be kidnapped, held hostage, or caught in the middle of a
violent conflict situation. And he rejected the use of violent retribution in
favor of restorative justice in the arrest and trial of anyone who harmed him.
I hope you will hold Tom and the other Peacemaker Team Members in your thoughts
and prayers, as well as those working to free them and those who are holding
them, and all affected by this situation. And I ask that you do whatever is
practical and feasible for you to affect a peaceful and positive resolution to
this situation.
If you wish further information you may contact Christian Peacemaker Teams at
416-423-5525 or me, Judy Agard, at 703-938-5513 or 703-903-2502. In addition to
the Websites mentioned in my letter, the media and the press have had news
stories about the Peacemaker Teams and Tom Fox. Particularly helpful is the
Washington Post article of December 1, 2005.
back to index
Janis D. Shields, American Friends Service Committee
(215) 241-7060 After Hours: (302) 545-6596
Rick McDowell, Friends Committee on National Legislation
(202) 957-6886
THE AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE AND FRIENDS COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL LEGISLATION APPEAL FOR THE RELEASE
OF CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKER TEAM MEMBERS HELD CAPTIVE
Quaker Groups Express Concern Over Kidnapped Peacemakers
Philadelphia ― December 2 ― The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the committee and staff members of Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) are deeply concerned for the four kidnapped members of the Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq and we appeal to the captors for their safe return. The four, Tom Fox (USA), Norman Kember (UK), James Loney and Harmeet Sooden (Canada), are actively engaged in the work of Christian Peacemaker Teams and have publicly opposed the U.S. led invasion and occupation of Iraq.
The Christian Peacemaker Teams, a non-governmental organization, arrived in Iraq in 2002 in opposition to the coming war and continues to work for the rights of Iraqi prisoners who have been illegally detained by U.S. occupation forces. The organization, founded in 1986, was amongst the first to document and expose the abuses at Abu Graib and other U.S. operated prisons and detention centers in Iraq.
The Christian Peacemaker Teams is one of the few remaining international humanitarian organizations working in Iraq. Their presence maintains a critical, nonviolent public witness to the violence and uncertainty which persists in the country. Team members knowingly work at great risk to their own health and security. Christian Peacemaker Teams hold religious beliefs but are not missionaries and do not proselytize.
The kidnappings have caused enormous suffering and pain to the captives, their families, associates, and friends. We appeal to those responsible for the kidnappings to release all four peacemakers unharmed.
― More ―
APPEAL FOR RELEASE OF CPT MEMBERS, page two
The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), a non-partisan Quaker lobby in the public interest, opposed the invasion of Iraq. FCNL believes there is no military solution to the conflict in Iraq. More troops, more guns, and more killing will not bring about peace. FCNL works in the United States for an end to the U.S. occupation and the withdrawal of all U.S. military forces and bases.
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is an international social justice organization and a co-recipient of the 1947 Nobel Peace Prize, which honored Quakers’ historic work to relieve the suffering of war. Since 1917, AFSC has aided millions of people around the world through its peace, economic development, and human rights programs. AFSC was a leader in the movements to end the Vietnam War and to dismantle apartheid in South Africa and remains a leader in international movements for peace and justice.
# # #
The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005 (8:30PM)
Members of Hopewell Centre Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), are deeply saddened by the abduction of the four Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) workers in Iraq. One of these workers, Tom Fox, is well-known and loved by our Meeting. He is a kind and gentle man who is dedicated to helping the people of Iraq, particularly those who are oppressed.
ir purpose in traveling to Iraq was not to espouse the Christian faith but to build bridges for a peaceful democracy and to be a voice for those who couldn’t speak. As a member of CPT, Tom supported their guiding principles that hostage-taking was wrong, but most importantly their captors were not to be vilified or demonized. CPT Teams understand their commitment to peace making in a such a location is dangerous but their goals are still very clear – peace belongs to all.
Our Meeting is certainly holding Tom, as well as the other hostages, their captors and all people affected by these kidnappings, In the Light of God’s Love and we pray for a non-violent resolution to this situation.
NEWS From Baltimore Yearly Meeting
November 30, 2005
QUAKERS PRAY FOR MISSING FRIEND
Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) affirms that one of our members, Tom Fox, of Langley Hill Monthly Meeting is one of four Christian Peacemaker Team workers missing in Iraq. Our prayers and hearts are with him and his colleagues. Tom Fox has been involved with Christian Peacemaker Teams for two years and led a workshop at our annual meeting about his experiences in Iraq.
Friends throughout the Yearly Meeting are holding Tom, as well as the others missing, those working to free them, those who are holding them, and all affected by this situation, in the Light of God’s Love. We pray for a peaceful resolution to this situation.
Tom Fox has been active in Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Fox served as Interim Youth Secretary for a year, and taught in the youth programs at the annual meeting for several years. He was a volunteer cook at the summer camping program. He is a well-known and beloved member of our Yearly Meeting.
Tom Fox is one of several members of Baltimore Yearly Meeting who have participated in activities of Christian Peacemaker Teams. Baltimore Yearly Meeting is formally affiliated with the Christian Peacemaker Teams through the broader Religious Society of Friends. For further information about Christian Peacemaker Teams, see http://www.cpt.org
Baltimore Yearly Meeting has 4600 members in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. It has 40 local meetings (congregations).
For Immediate Release
The All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) and The Langley Hill Friends Meeting (Quaker Church that Tom Fox attended) will hold an Interfaith Vigil at the ADAMS Center on Friday Dec 9, 2005 at 5:30pm to 6:30pm. The Interfaith Gathering will pray and ask for the safe release of Tom Fox and all other hostages in Iraq. They will pray for PEACE in the region.
CONTACT: Mr. Mukit Hossain(703-507-7223) and Mr. Shirin Elkoshairi - 571-217-9286
WHEN: Friday Dec 9, 2005 5:30pm to 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: The ADAMS Center 46903 Sugarland Drive, Sterling, VA 20164
One mile south of Route 7, one block west of the intersection of Dranesville Rd
and Sugarland.
(From Dulles toll Road, take exit 11(Fairfax County Parkway North), take a left
on Wiehle Ave, take a right on
Dranesville Rd, take a left on Sugarland Road, after one block, take a left into
the parking lot.)
WHAT: The Muslim and Christian leaders will pray and ask for the safe release of
Tom Fox, 54, of Clear
Brook, Va., and all other hostages in Iraq. We pray and ask for the safe return
of Tom and all the Hostages
taken in Iraq. We pray for Peace in the region.
Tom has been active in Virginia's Quaker community (Langley Hill Friends Meeting)
and is one of four
members of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) kidnapped last Saturday by a group
calling itself the Swords of
Righteousness Brigade. The kidnappers have threatened to kill the hostages
unless all prisoners in U.S. and
Iraqi detention centers are released.
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) is a violence-reduction initiative with roots
in the Historic Peace Churches
(Mennonites, Brethren, Quakers) with participation from a broad range of
Christian denominations and groups. CPT
offers an organized, nonviolent alternative to war and other forms of lethal
inter-group conflict. CPT provides
organizational support to persons committed to faith-based nonviolent
alternatives in situations where lethal conflict is an
immediate reality or is supported by public policy.
All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) and Langley Hill Friends Meeting have a
very close friendship. They meet
regularly for Interfaith meetings and community service projects. The Langley
Hill Friends Meeting Women’s group
offered to help Muslim Women wearing scarves since they were targets of Hate
Crimes. Langley Hill Friends Meeting
sent cards and flowers after ADAMS was vandalized. Langley Hill Friends Meeting
coordinated an overnight vigil on
9/11/2004 to keep ADAMS safe from the yearly vandalism against ADAMS Mosque that
happened on 9/12/2001,
9/11/2002, ad 9/11/2003. ADAMS truly appreciates the friendship and efforts of
Langley Hill Friends Meeting.
ADAMS: All Dulles Area Muslim Society(ADAMS) is one of the largest Muslim
communities/mosques in the DC Metro
Area and in the United States. ADAMS is a non profit 501c(3) Organization. ADAMS
serves over 5000 families and has
7 branches(Sterling/Herndon, Tysons Corner, Fairfax, Reston, Leesburg, Ashburn,
and South Riding) in Northern
Virginia. ADAMS Center is governed by a 13-member democratically elected board
of trustees comprising of men and
women. ADAMS engages in regular interfaith, government relations, social
services, and community service. ADAMS
has one of the largest Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Girl Scout programs in the DC
Metro area.
Last updated Dec 13
2005 09:24 AM AST CBC News
First Nations people in a rural New Brunswick
community are praying for the lives of four men taken hostage halfway around the
world.
Burnt Church band members say hostage James Loney, 41, and his Christian
Peacemaker Team helped them defuse tensions during a fishing dispute with the
federal government five years ago.
Millie Augustine
Millie Augustine credits Loney with helping the community come to a peaceful
resolution. "There was a lot of violence involved. If it wasn't for the
Christian Peacemaker Team being there, the frustration would have built up more
and I think there would have been a lot more violence and deaths that may have
occurred."
Loney and three others were kidnapped off a Baghdad street on Nov. 26. They are
all members of the human-rights organization Christian Peacemaker Teams who went
to Iraq to investigate allegations of abuses of Iraqi detainees.
INDEPTH: Two Canadians held hostage in Iraq A group called the Swords of
Righteousness has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and threatened to
kill the four unless the United States government released all Iraqi prisoners
by Dec. 8. That deadline has passed and the fate of the hostages is unknown.
The Christian Peacemaker Team went to Burnt Church, when tensions escalated
between native and non-native fishermen and DFO fisheries officers. At issue
were unclear rules about the native lobster fishery in Miramichi Bay. There was
gunfire, hostility and fear.
The CPT workers kept an eye on the water, 24 hours a day. They slept in tents
and talked to people on both sides of the dispute, bringing a little calm to a
hostile situation.
Millie Augustine says Loney had a special way with the elders. "Normally these
elders wouldn't say much to someone, especially a non-native coming into the
community. But they just wanted to go and tell him their whole life story and
know they're going to listen. And listen from his heart."
Lloyd Augustine says Loney and his team brought something his people so
desperately needed at that time. "Hope. That there was somebody out there that
was more than willing to stand beside them and help them out."
At a time when violence seemed the only option left, fisherman Leo Bartibog says
the CPT showed them that pacifism could work. "What they stand for is peace, and
they certainly proved that," he said.
People here are holding prayer circles for Loney and the other hostages, asking
the Creator to keep him safe. "He helped me and he helped my people, it's my
turn to help him now," said Millie Augustine. "I don't know how but I'm going to
give everything I can to help this man, like he helped us."
Augustine says whatever happens in Iraq, Loney and his efforts at Burnt Church
will live on.
|
5777th
Street Meeting of Friends
5615 S. Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
www.57thstreetmeeting.org
In response to the kidnapping of Norman Kember of London, Tom Fox of Clear Brook, Va., and Canadians James Loney and Harmeet Singh Sooden who are members of Christian Peacemaker Teams, 57th Street Meeting of Friends expresses their support for these individuals and the purposes for which they were serving in Iraq.
Our Quaker faith ask us to work for peace in the world and to respect that of God in everyone. We believe strongly in justice, mercy, and peace. We oppose this war as we oppose all wars. We believe in a God that is compassionate and merciful, as do the people of Iraq.
These loyal friends of the people of Iraq are not spies as it is claimed by the 'Swords of Righteousness Brigade' and, indeed, are not supporters of the US coalition in Iraq either. Along with many people in Europe and the United States with Friends among them, they are opposed to the use of violence in any form. These four friends are not missionaries and deeply respect the religious traditions of all the people that they work with including and especially the Muslim and Christian peoples of Iraq. Their only intention is to respond to the Love of God by putting their lives at risk by doing what they can to ensure that people who are victimized by the conflict are heard and heeded.
To exercise these principles of our belief, 57th Street Meeting of Friends continues to hold these workers and their families in the Light and to work wherever possible so that the underlying causes of violence will be replaced with love, understanding, and cooperation.
Approved the 18th Day of the Twelfth Month in the Year 2005
Breeze Richardson, clerk
Dear Friends,
The Peace and Social Concerns Committee of the Annapolis Monthly Meeting of the
Religious Society of Friends offers our prayers and support for Tom Fox and his
colleagues on the Christian Peacemaker Team who are being held in Iraq. We hold
them in the Light as well as their families and all who are suffering because of
the war in Iraq.
Jennifer DeLorge McKeown
clerk of Peace and Social Concerns Committee Annapolis Monthly Meeting of the
Religious Society of Friends
A statement of support will also be sent to the CPT website. We plan to also
submit a minute to Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business in January.
Tom Fox is one of the Christian Peacemakers Team members in
Baghdad currently being held hostage. I've been his friend for many years, and
feel the need to advance his work in this, the city we hope he returns to. My
prayers have joined those of many in supporting him as he works with his hosts
to bring peace to them and their country. But
that is not enough. If and when he is released, he will be pleased to learn of
the votes this last week in Congress to uphold the McCain anti-torture amendment
and the non-renewal of the Patriot Act. Still, that is not enough. While Tom is
a prisoner in an unknown location with an uncertain future, I know something of
how the families of
"detainees" that he's been helping have felt when they seek his intervention to
contact their loved ones somewhere in the US prison system in Iraq or Guantanamo
Bay.
Our Congress needs to do something to make our foreign prison
system much more open to public scrutiny and, when appropriate, its
intervention. The secrecy that surrounds those prisons now does not frustrate
the terrorists or Iraq insurgents. Rather, it helps them by creating a global
impression that the US Government is committing
unspeakable acts of torture and maltreatment there, using secrecy to cover their
crimes as dictators have always done.
This feeds the flame of insurgency in Iraq and the recruiting efforts of terrorists everywhere. Here as elsewhere, open and transparent truth about what we do is our best defense against such exaggerations. Short of adopting the Murtha Resolution to withdraw U.S. Forces from Iraq as soon as practicable, that's the best our Congress could do at this point to help Tom and his work.
Sincerely,
John Surr
John Surr is a member, with Tom Fox, of Langley Hill Friends Meeting in McLean,
VA
Please add the Vassalboro Monthly Meeting in central Maine to the list of Friends who join you in prayerful support of Tom Fox and his coworkers. He is on our minds and hearts daily.
Though we do not know Tom personally, we share your hope for a world at peace. We do, however, identify very concretely with his work, as one member of our meeting has also been in Iraq working for Peace in recent weeks.
The Vassalboro Meeting is a strong, vigorous Meeting, just across the lake from South China, the birth place of Rufus Jones. We take inspiration from his leadership as well and strive to life up to his witness. We wish you well and deeply appreciate the witness of Tom Fox and his associates.
Richard M. Kelly,
Clerk Vassalboro Monthly Meeting
=========================
Thank you for this welcome message.
Bonds of love tie Friends together and I have never been more aware of this love than during these days when we all hold Tom and his colleagues in prayer.
Thank you so much for sharing your concern with me so that I can use your message to uphold and strengthen those who are carrying a heavy weight of concern at this time. Thank you, too, for telling us a little about Vassalboro Meeting and locating it for us relative to Rufus Jones' birthplace. I've heard of "South China," but couldn't have placed it in central Maine.
With this response to you, I am copying Doug Smith, clerk of
Langley Hill (LH) Meeting (Tom's meeting), and Jeanne Houghton, LH's archivist
who
is assembling a record for Tom and the meeting, so that they are aware of your
Meeting's loving care for Tom. Similarly, I am copying Alexander Barnes who is
acting as Yearly Meeting archivist for this concern.
In Peace and Fellowship,
Lauri Perman
BYM Presiding Clerk
To Our Friends at Langley Hill Meeting:
As a member of the Philadelphia Affinity Group that participated in the September 26th nonviolent civil resistance action at the White House, I was immensely appreciative of the members of your meeting for supporting us as we challenged our nation's war policy. You gave us shelter, warmth, and love as we prepared to take a small risk for peace.
Now, I find out that one of your members took a giant risk for peace and has paid the price. I want you to know that I will ask the members of my own Meeting, Springfield in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, to place Tom Fox and his fellow peacemakers in the light and pray for their safe release. I wish I could do more but I promise to do that much.
I feel for you as you face the uncertainty and anxiety. From all that I have read, Tom was a special human being.
Terry Rumsey
Philadelphia September 26 Affinity Group
Springfield, PA Friends Meeting
You may remember me from the group who stayed at Langley Hill Meetinghouse on Sept. 25 and 26, to participate in the nonviolent resistance at the White House. Your meeting’s hospitality and loving care were extraordinary and meant a great deal to us as we did our best to oppose the war and occupation of Iraq. In fact, your meeting’s response was so noticeably affirming, that many of us commented on it.
And so, we were doubly distressed at the kidnapping of your member Tom Fox, whose witness in your meeting must surely have cleared the path for those of us who were protesting that weekend. We have passed the word among us, and the group as a whole would like me to pass on to you their concerns and prayers. I will forward one e-mail message to you, which is intended for Friends in your meeting.
On a wider scope, Friends in the Philadelphia area held a vigil for the hostages on Dec. 7, with perhaps 125 people attending. We had sheets of paper available for them to write messages to you folks, and a number of people took the opportunity. I’d like to send the sheets to you and want to make sure they get to the correct address. Would you recommend sending them to the meetinghouse or to you personally? What is your address?
We’re all concerned that there has been no word lately from the people who are holding the hostages. I hope it is a sign that they are reconsidering their demands or something in favor of freeing Tom and his teammates. There seems to be nothing the rest of us can do at this time but pray and watch for news.
Sincerely,
Melissa Elliott
Iraq
Program Assistant
Middle East Peacebuilding
American Friends Service Committee
1501 Cherry Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 241-7166
Friends House
Euston Road
London WC1
9/12/2005
Dear Frank Massey,
At Meeting for Sufferings last weekend, Friends asked that I should write to you
to pass on the meeting's prayerful support to Baltimore Yearly Meeting and to
Tom Fox' family at this difficult time. Members of our meeting who are linked
with the Christian Peacemaker Team have shared with us stories of the work in
Iraq and of Tom Fox' part in that. He has clearly made a huge contribution.
The pleas from such a range of people that the hostages should be released
reflect how much their work is valued. We pray that those holding them as
hostages will be enabled to hear and that all will be released safely.
In Friendship,
Caroline Nursey
Clerk, Meeting for Suffereings
Though I've moved to Indiana I'm still on BYM's email list and enjoy staying in
touch this way.
Quaker meetings here are holding the Christian Peace Team hostages and others of
you in the Light. Members of Richmond Peaceful Response held a peace vigil for
the hostages and those connected with them here in Richmond, Indiana last
Saturday and one of us was able to persuade the local newspaper to show up and
write a story which was well written and ended up on the front page!
Jane Stowe
------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you so much for keeping us informed. Patuxent
Friends Meeting held a vigil last Wednesday. It was rich with silence, messages
and reflection.
We held Tom and the others in the Light at Meeting for Worship last Sunday as
well, and will continue to do so.
Patuxent Friends have ties with the Muslim community in Southern Md. We hope to
explore ways that we can gather together at the Southern Maryland Islamic Center
in Prince Frederick for shared worship.
Peace and Light,
vicki rhoades
St. John's Episcopal Church
McLean, VA
December 1, 2005
Dear Langley Hill Friends,
Please know that we are holding Tom Fox, his fellow Christian Peacemaker Team
members and kidnappers in prayer. We give thanks for their nonviolent witness.
Faithfully,
The Clergy and Staff of St. John's
Canton, OH
To those who know Tom,
Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you as you face the unknown
about Tom Fox's safety and those with him in the Christian Peacemakers Team. It
is difficult to experience the horror of war so intimately. We plead for peace
and mercy for Tom and the other CPT members.
Blessing,
Jane Yaisey
North Newton, KS
To the family and friends of Tom Fox: [multiple messages]
I am grateful for the work that Tom is doing with CPT. I groan for you all in
the difficulty of your situation and hope that you might feel surround by family
and friends. - Julie Hart Newton
May God grant the safe release of your love one and sustain all of you as you
face fear with hope. - Susan Balzer
You all are in my prayers during this very difficult time. I pray for Tom's safe
return. - Jan Wiabe
We hold you and Tom in our prayers. - Cindy and Emma Regia
I hold you, your family, and all whose lives are touched in the light of
Christ's' everlasting love. - Elizabeth Reid
I pray for God's strength and courage for you. - Heidi Regier Kreider
In the midst of this incredibly difficult time, may you indeed experience the
peace of God that pass human understanding. - LaDeen and Rod Frey
Santa Barbara Monthly Meeting
Santa Barbara, CA 93140
December 12, 2005
[copy of a letter sent to CPT]
Dear Christian Peacemaker Team,
Santa Barbara Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) want you to know of our
deep concern for the wellbeing of your members - Tom Fox (USA); Norman Kember
(UK); James Loney and Harmeet Sooden (Canada) - who are currently being held
hostage in Iraq. We give thanks for their work, the work of your organization,
and that of all peacemakers.
We are inspired by the courage of those who follow their convictions to manifest
peace in areas where conflict becomes violent. We pray that they be allowed to
continue their work.
We feel it is most important that everyone involved be held harmless to further
the process of building peace through peaceful means.
We are holding the captives and their captors in the Light.
Santa Barbara Monthly Meeting
Pat Hardy, Clerk
Eugene Mennonite Church
Eugene, OR 97402
To the Family and Friends of Tom Fox,
Even though we've never met Tom, we feel connected to him through the work of
CPT. Our congregation is a part of the CPT Campaign for Secure Dwellings in
Hebron, and more recently participated in the Adopt-a-Detainee campaign in Iraq.
We know that Tom has been part of that work, and have appreciated his emails
that have kept us aware of the deep suffering and pain of the Iraqi people as a
result of the US/British occupation.
We have been praying that God will give Tom courage, strength, and peace
throughout this ordeal. We want you to know that our prayers are also with you
as you go through this unspeakably painful experience.
With our love and prayers,
Eugene Mennonite Church
Friends House
Toronto, Canada
December 7, 2005
To Langley Hill Friends Meeting, and Friends and Family of Tom Fox,
Concerned people gathered tonight at Toronto Friends Meeting House to light
candles and hold in the Light the four CPTers being held captive in Baghdad. We
hold in the Light as well their captors and all those working for Peace.
Peace be with you.
First Mennonite Church
Moundridge, KS 67107
Dear Friends,
Our prayers go out for the release of Tom Fox and the other hostages. We also
pray for your community in this difficult time.
Phil Waite, Pastor
Vassalboro Friends Meeting
Vassalboro, ME 04989
[multiple messages]
Friends in Maine reach out in prayer to you and the four men of peace in Iraq.
Peace and Strength - Ron Bazz
Eight Friends have been in prayer tonight (12-7-05) holding Tom Fox and his
fellow CPT workers and you in Langley Hill and their families and the Iraqi
people with whom they've worked and their captors in prayer. May you sense the
love and support we send through God to you. - Evie Hoffman
Peace on Earth. May we be witnesses to Christ's Light shining among us all. -
Kathy Bemmer
The loving care and concern of the Langley Hill Friends for Tom Fox grounds our
prayers for Tom as well. We look towards the unshakable safety that is found in
the Divine Presence covering Tom, his fellow peace workers, their captors, and
all of us. - Fred Davis
Messages to Langley Hill from the AFSC people who stayed at the Meeting House
earlier this fall.
Dear Langley Hill, As a young friend, I was deeply moved by Tom's presence as a
FAP. I continue to be deeply moved by Tom's courage.
Friends, Thank you for giving us the witness of one of your children. You have
held him. Keep on. Peace.
You, also, are in our prayers.
I will be holding us all in the Light.
God is with thee.
We pray with you, Friends. May we all be held by God.
Your grounding in God at Langley Hill has provided important strength to Tom Fox
and many others.
We are sending our prayers and good energy to you all, Tom, and the other CPTers.
Dear Friends, I know the struggles your meeting has gone through in the past
year have been many and have been difficult. The strength of your community will
pull you though. I hold you in the light and I pray for the safe return of Tom
Fox and the Christian Peacemakers.
I join you in prayer.
Love and light for all.
Our hopes and prayers join yours for our four peacemakers.
Friends, you are in my thoughts and prayers. Love, light, and hope for peace.
Blessed are the peacemakers. I hold all of you in the light in these sad times.
We understand your worry and pain. May you all feel the arms of God around you.
Peace and love to you during this difficult time. We are grateful for such a
witness of unconditional love.
Dear Langley Friends, I worshipped here at Central Philadelphia MM but with you
in my heart.
What a wonderful courageous member you have.
We are thinking of all of you and hold you all in the Light.
I remember your wonderful hospitality on September 25-26 when we were arrested
at the White House. Many thanks. Safe passage home for all.
So much to give thanks for - so much to hold in the Light - so much love to
breathe in the Spirit.
Gunpowder Monthly Meeting
Sparks, MD
December 19, 2005
Dear Langley Hill Friends:
Friends at Gunpowder Meeting are holding Tom Fox, his family, and Langley Hill
Friends in the Light during his captivity in Iraq. Many Gunpowder Friends feel a
close personal tie to Tom, as we have come to know him through the Yearly
Meeting. We are so appreciative for the ongoing support by Langley Hill Friends
providing for Tom's ministry and work on the Christian Peacemaker Teams.
As we gather for worship on Christmas Eve, our love and prayers will be focused
on Tom and on all of you. We pray for his safe return and the continuation of
his testimony for peace and social justice.
Yours in peace,
Amy Schmaljohn, Clerk
Milwaukee Monthly Meeting
Milwaukee, WI 53212
December 21, 2005
Dear Friends at Langley Hill,
All of us at Milwaukee Meeting send our love and concern as you wait to hear
about the fate of Tom Fox and the other three CPT members being held in
captivity. We know that your hearts are heavy as the Christmas holidays
approach.
The work these men are doing to promote peace and healing in Iraq is so
desperately needed, and it seems to unjust that they are being held captive, but
we all know that there have been many terrible injustices committed in Iraq,
many by our own government.
This letter should have been written sooner, but we lost a beloved member of our
community last week and another is gravely ill - we have been pre-occupied but
have not forgotten about the hostages. We hold them, and you, in the light and
in our hearts.
In Peace,
Priscilla Cimilli, Clerk
Marmora Pastoral Charge of the United Church of Canada
Marmora, Ontario, Canada
Dear Friends,
Please accept our prayers and best wishes for your beloved. On December 4th, the
2nd week of Advent and the Sunday of Peace, we honoured the four men of the
Christian Peacemaker Teams, James, Harmeet, Tom, and Norman, by lighting candles
of peace for each one from our Advent candle of peace and then including them in
our prayers of Thanksgiving and Concern during Holy Communion.
Members in all three congregations will continue to hold you, your four men and
the captors in our prayers. May God be with each one of you during this
difficult time, granting you courage and comfort.
With love and respect to each on of you as we continue in the hope of a peace
resolution for all,
Pastor C.J. Hague
Clear Creek Meeting
Dixon, IL
Dear Friends of Langley Meeting,
We, your friends of Clear Creek meeting, send you our loving support. Today, we
finished Meeting with Christmas Carols. With loving thoughts and prayers to you.
Columbia Friends Meeting
Columbia, Missouri
We, in the Columbia Friends Meeting, are all hold Tom Fox and his three friends
for peace, in the Light. May their peace testimony prove stronger than hatred.
Sincerely, Carolyn Dell
St. Anne's Episcopal Church
Reston, VA
December 20, 2005
To the Langley Hill Friends Meeting and the ADAMS Center:
During this time of anguish and concern, we wish to convey to you our own
concern and prayers for the safe return of Tom and the other hostages. It seems
a good time to acknowledge how much we treasure the bonds of friendship we have
built together over the past few years, largely through the NOVA Women's
Interfaith Group, and through other channels. We recognize and deeply appreciate
your presence in the community, the way you live your faiths, your energy for
good, your many outreach efforts, your peace and justice work. Know that we are
here, honored to walk with you in this journey, and here, if needed, to lean
upon. We are holding you, Tom, all hostages, their families, and their captors
in prayer.
Rev. James A. Papile, Rector, for the Vestry and People of St. Anne's
Dear Langley Friends,
This is to let you know that we of Santa Monica Friends Meeting are holding in
the Light Tom Fox and other captives in Iraq. We plan to hold a vigil next week
to honor them and to commemorate the "Season of Nonviolence". Here's information
about our vigil. Please share it with Tom's Friends and family. If you have any
news or words to share with us, please let us know. I plan to run an article
about this vigil and Tom in the March issue of Friends Bulletin, the magazine
that I edit for Western Friends.
"Season of Nonviolence Vigil"
sponsored by Santa Monica Friends Meeting
January 29, 2006
12:30-1:30 PM
Palisades Park, Santa Monica (near the entrance to the pier)
in honor of Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Tom Fox and others who have dedicated their lives to peace making
You are invited to join us for a time of prayer and reflection. We will read passages from King, Gandhi and Fox and take time for reflection and sharing. Those who wish to do so may sign our letter to Tom Fox’s Meeting (Langley, VA) and bring flowers to place at Arlington West, the memorial to those who have died during the latest war in Iraq, sponsored by Veterans for Peace.
Tom Fox is an American Quaker and a member of Christian Peace Teams who, along with Norman Kember (UK); James Loney and Harmeet Sooden (Canada), has been held hostage in Iraq since late November 26, 2005. We give thanks for their work, the work Christian Peace Teams, and that of all peacemakers. We are inspired by the courage of those who follow their convictions to manifest peace in areas where conflict becomes violent.
A Season for Nonviolence, January 30 to April 4, is a 64-day educational, media, and grassroots campaign dedicated to raising consciousness and demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform, and empower our lives and our communities. Inaugurated in 1998 at the 50th and 30th memorial anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this interfaith and international event honors their vision for an empowered, nonviolent world.
A letter to the friends and family of Tom Fox
Dear Friends and family of Tom Fox,
Greetings from Santa Monica Friends Meeting and from others gathered here on January 29, 2006, to honor Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Tom Fox, and others who have devoted their lives to peace making. As the “Season of Nonviolence” begins, we affirm that “peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal” (Martin Luther King). We are inspired by Tom Fox who said, “we must come from a spirit of love and compassion to help our leaders and many of our fellow citizens come to see that if we truly love God then we must make a drastic change in the course of our country.”
During this time of public prayer and reflection, we hold in our prayers the friends and family of Tom Fox and other Christian Peace Team members. We pray for the people of Iraq, the troops of the United States as well as those from other nations, the humanitarian workers in Iraq, the families of all in harm’s way, the leaders of Iraq and of the United States, and all others affected by this war. We pray for all those held in captivity, especially those whose human rights and dignity are being abused. And we pray that those who believe in redemptive violence will see the light and experience the transforming power of divine Love.
We re-affirm our support for North Pacific Yearly Meeting’s minute calling for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq:
The North Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), standing in the 350 year tradition of Friends’ opposition to war, calls for the immediate and orderly termination of the military occupation of Iraq by the United States. We believe we are called to live in that love and power that takes away the occasion of all war. We are anguished by the deaths of over 100,000 Iraqis and by the deaths and lasting scars inflicted on another generation of soldiers and their families. We accept the moral and legal obligations of our country to help reconstruct Iraq, in concert with the international community and the people of Iraq. We acknowledge our own obligations to remove the seeds of war that are embedded in the ways we live our daily lives. We call for renewed efforts to prevent our nation from engaging in similar conflicts in the future. We hold in our prayers the people of Iraq, the troops of the United States as well as those from other nations, the humanitarian workers in Iraq, the families of all in harm’s way, the leaders of Iraq and of the United States, and all others affected by this war.
As Friends, we are committed to help our country “chart a new course,” one that will lead to peace and justice for all people.
1. We must come from a spirit of love and compassion to help our leaders and many of our fellow citizens come to see that if we truly love God then we must make a drastic change of direction in the course of our country. The only way we will gain respect is by showing it to others, even those we disagree with. The only way we will gain love is by giving it to others, even those we disagree with. Love of country must always be subordinate to love of God. Love of country alone sets us on a course towards the disasters that have befallen other counties over the centuries. Charting a new course must begin now before it is too late.—Tom Fox, August 2005
2. Our apartment is across the street from a park. Many evenings around the time we are gathering for supper a mother and her three children walk by our living room window. The western sun illuminates her face and the faces of her young children. I don’t know her but in a way I feel I do. She looks tired. So many, many people here in Iraq are so very tired. She looks a bit fearful. Will today be the day when the insurgents set off a car bomb near the park? Will today be the day when the young men of the Iraqi National Guard, riding like cowboys in the back of their pickup trucks, get trigger happy and start shooting with her and her children in the line of fire? Yet day after day I see her taking her children to the park. Underneath the fatigue and the fear I can sense the hope and the courage in her heart. It reflects on her children as does the setting sun reflect on the nearby Tigris River. She gives me courage to face the overwhelming difficulties of life in this broken land. She is living in the present moment fully aware of the dangers and uncertainties and yet she has not given up hope, she has not given in to despair, she has not let herself be driven into hiding by men with guns and bombs. She is my teacher. She teaches me how to live fully conscious of the horrors of today and still be able to envision a future of promise, peace and plenty. I would pray that we all live each day, no matter where we are, “for the sake of our children.”—Tom Fox, June 05.
3. At a team worship time soon after the kidnapping of Margaret Hassan I have a very clear image. It was of a land of shadows and darkness. But within that land candles were burning; not many but enough to shed some light on the landscape. Some candles disappeared and it was my sense that their light was taken away for protection. Other candles burned until nothing was left and a small number of candles seemed to have their light snuffed out by the shadows and the darkness. What was most striking to me was that as the candles which burned until the end and the candles whose light was snuffed out ceased to burn more candles came into being seemingly to build on their light.—Tom Fox.
4. It is not enough to say ‘we must not wage war.’ It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it…We must see that peace represents a sweeter music, a cosmic melody that is far superior to the discords of war” — Martin Luther King, Jr, Nobel Prize Speech, Dec. 1964.
5. We can no longer afford to worship the god of hate or bow before the altar of retaliation. — Martin Luther King, Jr, April 4, 1967.
6. World peace through nonviolent means is neither absurd nor unattainable. All other methods have failed. Thus we must begin anew. Nonviolence is a good starting point. Those of us who believe in this method can be voices of reason, sanity, and understanding amid the voices of violence, hatred, and emotion. We can very well set a mood of peace out of which a system of peace can be built. —Martin Luther King, Jr., December 1964
7. Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal. —Martin Luther King, Jr.
8. We must move past indecision to action. We must find new ways to speak for peace….and for justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight. —Martin Luther King, Jr., "CONSCIENCE ANDTHE VIETNAM WAR" in The Trumpet of Conscience (1968)
9. Nonviolence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our very being. —Mahatma Gandhi, 1948
10. Once one assumes an attitude of intolerance, there is no knowing where it will take one. Intolerance, someone has said, is violence to the intellect and hatred is violence to the heart. —Mahatma Gandhi, 1942
11. Non-violent resistance implies the very opposite of weakness. Defiance
combined with non-retaliatory acceptance of repression from one's opponents is
active, not passive. It requires strength, and there is nothing automatic or
intuitive about the resoluteness required for using non-violent methods in
political struggle and the quest for Truth.
—Mahatma
Gandhi, 1936
12. I contend that non-violent acts exert pressure far more effective than
violent acts, for the pressure comes from goodwill and gentleness.
—Mahatma
Gandhi, 26 December 1922
Dear Friends,
The Annapolis Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society
of Friends offers our prayers and support for Tom Fox and his colleagues on the
Christian Peacemaker Team who are being held in Iraq. We hold them in the Light
as well as their families and all who are suffering because of the war in Iraq.
We continue to hold weekly vigils on Wednesday evenings.
Jennifer DeLorge McKeown
clerk of Peace and Social Concerns Committee Annapolis Monthly Meeting of the
Religious Society of Friends
A letter to the friends and family of Tom Fox
Dear Friends and family of Tom Fox,
Greetings from Santa Monica Friends Meeting and from others gathered here on January 29, 2006, to honor Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Tom Fox, and others who have devoted their lives to peace making. We gather here at the beginning of the “Season of Nonviolence” to be a witness for peace and to affirm that “peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal” (Martin Luther King). We are inspired by Tom Fox who said, “we must come from a spirit of love and compassion to help our leaders and many of our fellow citizens come to see that if we truly love God then we must make a drastic change in the course of our country.”
During this time of public prayer and reflection, we hold in our prayers the friends and family of Tom Fox and other Christian Peace Team members. We affirm our support for North Pacific Yearly Meeting’s minute calling for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq:
The North Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), standing in the 350 year tradition of Friends’ opposition to war, calls for the immediate and orderly termination of the military occupation of Iraq by the United States. We believe we are called to live in that love and power that takes away the occasion of all war. We are anguished by the deaths of over 100,000 Iraqis and by the deaths and lasting scars inflicted on another generation of soldiers and their families. We accept the moral and legal obligations of our country to help reconstruct Iraq, in concert with the international community and the people of Iraq. We acknowledge our own obligations to remove the seeds of war that are embedded in the ways we live our daily lives. We call for renewed efforts to prevent our nation from engaging in similar conflicts in the future. We hold in our prayers the people of Iraq, the troops of the United States as well as those from other nations, the humanitarian workers in Iraq, the families of all in harm’s way, the leaders of Iraq and of the United States, and all others affected by this war.
We pledge to commit ourselves to helping our country “chart a new course,” one that will lead to peace and justice for all people.
Tom Fox is an American Quaker and a member of Christian Peace Teams who, along with Norman Kember, James Loney and Harmeet Sooden has been held hostage in Iraq since November 26, 2005. The day before our vigil, we heard news that a new video was released showing the four Christian Peacemaker Team members were still alive, though still held captive in Iraq. Their captors repeated their demand for release of all US prisoners in Iraq, adding that this was the “last chance” to save the four men’s lives. We hope and pray that by the time you read this, Tom and other captives in Iraq will be set free.
During our vigil we gave thanks for their work, the work Christian Peace Teams, and that of all peacemakers. We read passages from the writings of King, Gandhi and Tom Fox (see next page). We also sang peace songs and had a time of silent reflection and worship sharing out of the silence.
Several guests participated. Among them were Jerry Rubin (no relation to the famous one of the Chicago Seven trial; ours is a homegrown Santa Monica peace activist who has been involved in countless peace actions, including planting a “Tree of Life” near the site of our vigil); Paul Borraccia, a Soka Gakkai Buddhist and peace activist involved with Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace; and Shakeel Syed, the executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California.
Like many participants, Nancy Fuller, a Santa Monica Friend, felt that
the vigil was a deeply spiritual experience. She writes:
“The silence was deep and at home in the babble of Palisades traffic and
children’s voices and friendly wind whispers, the words of our elders wise.
The music and signs connected us with the other people walking by. I felt
led to wait until the outdoor vigil to share the message I heard in the
Meeting for worship. Asking for Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld to be held in the
Light was, I think, a step forward for me on the path to true and
consistent peaceful living.”
“I felt moved by what happened around the edges of the vigil,” said Stan Searl, another Santa Monica Friend. “For example, I had brief conversations with two homeless men, both of whom had served in Vietnam. One said: ‘I didn’t know there were any Quakers left; glad to hear it!’”
The children of Santa Monica Meeting also played a vital part in our vigil. They made lovely signs with captions such as “These hands are praying for peace, “These hearts are beating for peace,” and “Peace won’t come to you, you must make it.”
Our event was part of a nationwide campaign called A Season for Nonviolence, that begins January 30 (the date of the assassination of Gandhi) and end April 4 (the date of ML King’s assassination). This 64-day educational, media, and grassroots campaign is dedicated to raising consciousness and demonstrating that nonviolence is a powerful way to heal, transform, and empower our lives and our communities (see http://www.agnt.org/ for more information).