Joy, Grief Mark Celebration of Peacemakers' Rescue
Christian peacemakers and their supporters expressed ambivalent joy yesterday as three of their kidnapped colleagues were freed by Coalition and Iraqi forces west of Baghdad.
“Our hearts are filled with joy today as we heard that Harmeet Singh Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman Kember have been freed safely in Baghdad,” a statement released by the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) read. “Christian Peacemaker Teams rejoices with their families and friends at the expectation of their return to their loved ones and community.”
Coalition forces freed the hostages without a shot being fired as they acted within hours of receiving intelligence tips from a detainee captured the day before. After a four-month ordeal, the three men – Briton Norman Kember and Canadians James Loney and Harmeet Singh Sooden of the Chicago-based Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) – were found alone and unguarded.
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Concern for the hostages, who were captured on Nov. 26 by a group that called itself the Swords of Righteousness Brigade, mounted after the fourth hostage – American Tom Fox – was found dead in early March.
Celebration of Thursday’s successful rescue was interspersed with grief over Fox’s death.
“Our gladness today is made bittersweet by the fact that Tom is not alive to join in the celebration,” the CPT statement continued. “However, we are confident that his spirit is very much present in each reunion.”
Representatives of large ecumenical and denominational bodies in the United States also expressed both joy and grief at the news of the rescue.
“Our joy is boundless and we greet God’s mercy with humility and awe,” the Rev. Bob Edgar, head of the National Council of Churches said in a statement. “Yet in the midst of this celebration, we continue to grieve for Tom Fox…Tom was no different than his three friends – a devoted Christian who stood for peace and was an understanding advocate of millions who felt the same bitterness as his murderers.”
To date, insurgents and gangs in Iraq kidnapped more than 250 foreigners and thousands of Iraqis, most for ransom.
