Western aid workers freed in Iraq

[DaSangarTalib]

and today's news is.......

British peace activist Norman Kember and two Canadian colleagues held hostage in Iraq have been released, the British Embassy said on Thursday, according to Reuters.

Mr Kember, 74 and Canadians Harmeet Singh Sooden and James Loney were freed in a rescue operation in western Baghdad.

The British citizen is said to be in a "reasonable condition" after being released, according to BBC. The two Canadians have been hospitalised.

The three aid workers, from the Christian Peacemaker Teams, were abducted in Baghdad on November 26 along with American citizen Tom Fox, whose body was found in the capital earlier this month.

The kidnappers had threatened to kill the men if the U.S. and Iraqi authorities didn’t meet their demand of freeing all Iraqi detainees.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the rescue operation followed "weeks and weeks of very careful work by military and coalition personnel in Iraq and many civilians as well".

"There's one last very sad point, which is that there were four hostages captured originally, including one, an American, Mr Fox, and it's a matter of great sorrow to everybody that he was killed a little while ago,” he added.

Muslim groups in the UK sent delegates to Iraq to plead for the hostages’ release.

Ihtisham Hibatullah, a spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, said on Thursday they were "very relieved" that Mr Kember and his colleagues were alive, and that it was fantastic news for their families.

At least 225 foreigners and thousands of Iraqis have been kidnapped since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. More than 38 foreigners have been killed by their captors.

 

[Malsidabym]

This is very good news.Good to see these three finally free. :bravo:

 

[j4763]

Good old SAS!

 

[Malsidabym]

What is SAS?

 

[strider]

SAS- branch of the military.

This is great news!

 

[j4763]

The British top force's, its thanks to them for storming the place and rescueing the poor buggers.

 

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace j4763;

The British top force's, its thanks to them for storming the place and rescueing the poor buggers

Maybe their own life or death was not the main concern of these peacemakers, I feel they took great risks for peace and justice for the Iraqi people.

Hopefully they will now have the freedom to speak out and be a thorn in the side to Bush and Blair.

Here is a story from Ekklesia after their release.

Joy as Christian Peacemakers are freed in Iraq -23/03/06

Three Christian Peacemaker Teams activists in Iraq have been freed from captivity west of Baghdad, two weeks after the tragic murder of their colleague Tom Fox. Norman Kember, Harmeet Singh Sooden and Jim Loney were released by multilateral forces in a security sweep. CPT says no-one was hurt in the operation.

The news of the men’s freeing has been greeted with joy and relief across the world. But Christian Peacemaker Teams – an action group rooted in the historic peace churches (Mennonite, Quaker, Brethren in Christ) – is keen that attention should also continue to be paid to the thousands of Iraqi detainees and captives.

CPT has been highlighting their plight and working for nonviolent alternatives to war, terror and occupation since 2002. It also has a strong track record in Israel-Palestine and a number of other hotspots around the world.

The Reverend Alan Betteridge of the Baptist Peace Fellowship, a friend of British captive Dr Kember for more than 40 years, told BBC Five Live this morning: "It's tremendously good and so unexpected after the killing of Tom Fox a couple of weeks ago, when we really did fear that each one would be killed eventually."

Former Catholic priest and CND general secretary Bruce Kent also expressed happiness and relief at the outcome, commenting that many had been fearing the worst after the discovery of Tom Fox’s body on a Baghdad rubbish tip.

Pat Kember, the wife of 74-year-old retired medical professor Norman Kember, is reported to be “overjoyed” at the news of her husband’s release. Friends and relatives were increasingly fearing for his health under the physical and mental strain of captivity.

Muslim groups were also swift to respond to the news. Ihtisham Hibatullah, a spokesperson for Anas Altikriti, who went to Iraq as an envoy seeking the release of the CPTers on behalf of at the Muslim Association of Britain, said that they were "very relieved" that Mr Kember and his colleagues were alive, adding that it was fantastic news for their families.

The Christian Peacemaker Teams activists had received unprecedented support from Muslims across the world since their capture outside a Baghdad mosque on 26 November 2005.

The pacifist group made it clear that they were not asking for military intervention on behalf of their members, and today they expressed relief that no-one appears to have been killed in the armed operation.

Said Simon Barrow of the UK religious think tank Ekklesia, which is associated with Christian Peacemaker Teams UK: “The release of Norman, Jim and Harmeet is the wonderful news that many had been working and praying for, but perhaps did not quite dare to believe.”

He went on: “Christian peace makers have great respect for those who carried out the operation to free the captives, but they nevertheless remain firmly committed to nonviolence as the only effective, long-term way to break the cycles of hatred, revenge, terror and killing which are destroying Iraq and threatening the world.”

Said Barrow: “Many people will continue to question the propriety of unarmed interventions in places of great danger and conflict. But Christian Peacemaker Teams have made it clear that they will not be deterred by threats or opposition. They are tough-minded people who know the situation and know what they were doing. When Jesus called on his followers to make peace, he never said it was going to be anything other than risky – and he paid with his life.”

Along with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Home Secretary Jack Straw welcomed the release of Dr Kember and his colleagues. He spoke to Mrs Kember earlier this morning.

In a press statement, Mr Straw added: "There's one last very sad point, which is that there were four hostages captured originally, including one, an American, Mr Fox, and it's a matter of great sorrow to everybody that he was killed a little while ago (9 March 2006)."

US President George W. Bush, who has often invoked God in justification of his military actions in Iraq and elsewhere, has yet to make a personal public statement of regret on the subject of Mr Fox’s death.

in the spirit of seking justice for people

Eric

 

[knuckles]

It' sounds like a lack of gratitude to me. No where to I see a thank you to the soldiers that rescued them

 

[Rabi'ya]

im glad they are freed finally -



Rabi'ya:rose:

 

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace knuckles;

knuckles
It' sounds like a lack of gratitude to me. No where to I see a thank you to the soldiers that rescued them

In a way you have to look at the statements made by the four hostages before they were kidnapped.

Ekklesia news service
Christian Peacemaker Peggy Gish has confirmed that the CPT Team had repeatedly insisted it did not want violence used to release its captives. That was also a pledge made by Kember, Loney, Sooden and Fox.

And this statement after the death of Tom Fox.

Ekklesia news service
Quoting Tom Fox, they said: "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."

Christian Peacemaker Teams said a few days ago that they considered the invasion of Iraq to be the root cause of the abductions.

"In grief we tremble before God who wraps us with compassion. The death of our beloved colleague and friend pierces us with pain" a statement from the groups said last night.

They were not so much concerned about what might happen to them, their greater consideration was for justice for the Iraqi people.

In a way being released by British and American soldiers is almost the worst solution for these peace makers, because the people they were protesting against is the British and American government.

How can they now protest against the US and UK after their lives have been saved?

In the spirit of praying for justice for all people

Eric

 

[Nicola]

It' sounds like a lack of gratitude to me. No where to I see a thank you to the soldiers that rescued them

totally agree..
how ungrateful and rude!

 

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace Nicola,

I believe the motives of Norman Kember are not easily understood.

At the Garden of Gethsemane Christ admonished Peter for trying to defend him with a sword. Christ told Peter to put away his sword, then Christ walked freely into captivity and death.

Christ knew that his mission in life could only be accomplished by his own death which he freely accepted.

I believe that Norman was prepared to die so that others might find peace, he thanked the people who had prayed for him, because he wanted peace to happen through prayer.

He was a Christian who worked to bring Sunni and Shia together in peace keeping missions. After his release he seemed more concerned about the Muslims in Iraq still facing conflict.

I did not hear any statement by him condemning the men who killed his team member Tom Fox, or any message condemning his captors.

Norman Kember and his team have to be giants amongst men of peace.

In the spirit of seeking justice for all people

Eric

 

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace Knut Hamsun,

I hope you don't mind but I noticed your signature, and I can see the workings of Herman Goering in the comments made by our British general on Norman Kember.

Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country. — General Herman Goering

In the spirit of recognising a peacemaker,

Eric