Tom Fox

There are many things that terrorists don't want in Iraq - among them are Christians and peace. We salute the courage of conviction exhibited by those who would venture forth to confront such animosity, recognizing that this may be the inevitable result:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- American hostage Tom Fox -- who was kidnapped with three other Christian peace activists in November -- has been found shot in the head with his body showing signs of torture, Iraqi emergency police told CNN Saturday.

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.

Christian Peacemaker Teams has been in Iraq since late 2002. Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, it has been investigating allegations of abuse against Iraqi detainees. In a statement Tuesday, it said 14,600 Iraqis were "detained illegally by the multinational forces."

Those who knew him say Fox had prepared himself for the possibility he would not return from Iraq. He even wrote about it on his Web log when he first arrived in Baghdad in October 2004.

"I am to stand firm against the kidnapper as I am to stand firm against the soldier," he wrote. "Does that mean I walk into a raging battle to confront the soldiers? Does that mean I walk the streets of Baghdad with a sign saying 'American for the Taking'? No to both counts. But if Jesus and Gandhi are right, then I am asked to risk my life and if I lose it to be as forgiving as they were when murdered by the forces of Satan."

Fox worked with incarcerated Iraqis, often serving as the only link between them and their families on the outside, said Slattery.

Fox also escorted shipments of medicine to clinics and hospitals and worked to form an Islamic Peacemaker Team.
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In an appeal for her father's life issued through Christian Peacemaker Teams after his capture, Fox's daughter Katherine described him as a wanderer, an outdoorsman and a listener. He also was a gifted musician, a former clarinetist with the Marine Corps Band in Washington, she said.

"My dad wasn't a Marine, he was a musician," Fox wrote.

Fox had traded in his fatigues for a life of pacifism.

And our thoughts and prayers are with the family and colleagues of Tom Fox.

Related story: Marla Ruzicka

Other thoughts:

Belmont Club

Dr Roy Eappen, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Freedom Now

LGF