Petition to Release Christian Peacemaking Team Hostages

[undeterred]

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/freethecpt

An Urgent Appeal: Please Release Our Friends in Iraq

Four members of Christian Peacemaker Teams were taken this past Saturday, November 26, in Baghdad, Iraq. They are not spies, nor do they work in the service of any government. They are people who have dedicated their lives to fighting against war and have clearly and publicly opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq. They are people of faith, but they are not missionaries. They have deep respect for the Islamic faith and for the right of Iraqis to self-determination.

C.P.T. first came to Iraq in October 2002 to oppose the US invasion, and it has remained in the country throughout the occupation in solidarity with the Iraqi people. The group has been invaluable in alerting the world to many of the horrors facing Iraqis detained in US-run prisons and detention centers. C.P.T. was among the first to document the torture occurring at the Abu Ghraib prison, long before the story broke in the mainstream press. Its members have spent countless hours interviewing Iraqis about abuse and torture suffered at the hands of US forces and have disseminated this information internationally.

Each of the four C.P.T. members being held in Iraq has dedicated his life to resisting the darkness and misery of war and occupation. Convinced that it is not enough to oppose the war from the safety of their homes, they made the difficult decision to go to Iraq, knowing that the climate of mistrust created by foreign occupation meant that they could be mistaken for spies or missionaries. They went there with a simple purpose: to bear witness to injustice and to embody a different kind of relationship between cultures and faiths. Members of C.P.T. willingly undertook the risks of living among Iraqis, in a common neighborhood outside of the infamous Green Zone. They sought no protection from weapons or armed guards, trusting in, and benefiting from, the goodwill of the Iraqi people. Acts of kindness and hospitality from Iraqis were innumerable and ensured the C.P.T. members’ safety and wellbeing. We believe that spirit will prevail in the current situation.

We appeal to those holding these activists to release them unharmed so that they may continue their vital work as witnesses and peacemakers.

Some churches are also organizing prayer vigils- http://www.cpt.org/iraq/response/PrayerVigils.htm

[CBHagman]

1. Signed it.

And I'm praying for their release.

[undeterred]

2. I read some of the notes the signers wrote

which was really neat... and I saw the names of some people from church who I haven't seen in 20 years!

[CBHagman]

3. Sunni Muslim leaders call for hostages' release.

As per the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5469011,00.html

Sunni Clerics Appeal for Hostages' Release

Friday December 9, 2005 6:01 PM


"During prayers in the al-Imam al-Aadam mosque in Baghdad's predominantly Sunni Arab neighborhood of Azamiyah in north Baghdad, cleric Ahmed Hassan Taha demanded that the four charity workers be released.

"'I stress on the necessity to release the four kidnapped foreigners who have helped the residents of Azamiyah,' he said. 'We ask those who have authority and power to do their best to release the four European people who work in Christian peace organization, in fact those activists were the first who condemned the war on Iraq.'

"Residents gathered outside the mosque, also known as Abu Hanifa, and held aloft banners demanding their release.

"'The people of Azamiyah will not forget the honest positions peacemakers,' read one. Another said, 'We demand the release of the abducted peacemakers.'"

On edit: I have been praying that Muslim leaders might call publicly for the release of the hostages, and the other night on the BBC, there was evidence that at least one leader had. I am relieved to see there is popular support for that position in the area itself.

May those who hold the captives be moved by these entreaties.