Powerful Testimony in the Face of Death -- Stand in Courage for Non-Violence says CPT

Tom Fox in Baghdad doing what he loved to do

Protesting the Israeli Wall in Palestine

One of the four Christian Peacemaker Teams members captured in November was killed in Iraq. The tortured body of Tom Fox was found on the side of a road in Baghdad.

I was closely associated with CPT when I lived in Chicago back in the 1980s. They are people who embody the principles of non-violence and justice that many of us just talk about, by putting their bodies on the line to stand for peace.

CPT’s response to the murder of their colleague is a great testimony to their commitment to non-violence. Here’s a quote from their statement.

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.

For the CPT web site click here
For the NCC statement click here

News Article from LA Times http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-fox12mar12,1,7570267.story?coll=la-news-a_section