On March 10, 2005, the body of Tom Fox was discovered in a Baghdad neighborhood. Fox was in Iraq with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), an organization that calls on Christians to "devote the same discipline and self-sacrifice to nonviolent peacemaking that armies devote to war." Fox had been working in Iraq since 2004, documenting detainee abuse, advocating for the human rights of all Iraqis, accompanying refugees and protesting the occupation.
On November 26th, 2005, Fox and three colleagues - Jim Loney, Harmeet Sooden and Norman Kember - were abducted in Baghdad. Four days later their images appeared on a video broadcast by Al Jazeera. Demands were made and deadlines were set. Two more videos were aired in January 2006, one showing Tom Fox and his British colleague Norman Kember shackled and wearing orange jumpsuits. A fourth video aired in March and showed all of the hostages except Fox. Three days later, Fox was confirmed dead.
Fox, 54, lived in Clearbrook, Virginia and was a dedicated father of two children. For the past two years, he worked with CPT in partnership with Iraqi human rights organizations to promote peace. Fox was a practicing Quaker for 22 years. While in Iraq, he sought a more complete understanding of Islamic cultural richness and was committed to telling the truth to U.S. citizens about the horrors of war and the effects of U.S. policies and practices ordinary Iraqi civilians and families. Fox was an accomplished musician who played the bass clarinet and the recorder. He loved to cook. He also worked as a professional grocer. Fox devoted much of his time to working with children. He served as an adult leader of youth programs and worked at a Quaker camp for youth. He facilitated young people's participation in opposing war and violence. Fox was a quiet and peaceful man, respectful of everyone, who believed that "there is that of God in every person" which is why work for peace was so important to him.
One year before his abduction, the beloved and experienced aid worker Margaret Hassan was abducted and ultimately murdered. When Tom Fox grappled with that tragedy in his blog, Waiting in the Light, he left us with words we might now use to grapple with his own horribly parallel fate:
"She lived a life with the people of Iraq," Fox wrote, "not a life spent behind gates and walls.
"Finally it seems as if she gave away her life. Individuals who resort to any means in order to justify their ends appear to have taken it from her ... CPT in Iraq prays that these individuals can reconnect with their humanity. We pray for healing for her family, friends and coworkers. We understand that the Quran teaches that an innocent person who is killed travels as quickly as does light to the gates of Paradise.
"While Margaret's light may now be in Paradise her physical presence is no longer with the people of Iraq. We ask all people who have lived in her light and all who seek the light to resolve to continue the work she began. She lived a life of courage in the midst of fear. We are called to do the same, no matter what the consequences."
Electronic Iraq has assembled here some of his writings and the things others are writing about him so that his convictions, experiences, and the effects of his work can be better understood.
If you want to send condolences to Fox's family, send them to Family of Tom Fox, c/o Christian Peacemaker Teams, P.O. Box 6508 Chicago, IL 60680-6508
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Intermittently during his time in Iraq, Tom Fox posted to a blog he titled Waiting in the Light. In the wake of his murder Electronic Iraq presents excerpts from Fox's blog so that his decision to go to Iraq and the convictions that kept him there can be better understood.
"Do not do what you hate," Excerpts from Tom Fox's Iraq Blog (Part 1) In part one Fox gives his initial impressions of post-invasion Baghdad, struggles with the kidnapping and murder of aid worker Margaret Hassan, describes the challenges of daily life for Iraqis, and explains and wrestles with his ideas on pacifism.
"Do not do what you hate," Excerpts from Tom Fox's Iraq Blog (Part 2) In part two Fox writes about meeting with contractors and a U.S. colonel, escorts a group of Palestinian Iraqis to Syria where they hope to obtain refugee status, and grapples with the challenges of doing good work and staying sane in the face of suffering.
Fox's three colleagues, Canadians Jim Loney and Harmeet Sooden and the UK's Norman Kember were freed on March 23, 2006. To read more about each of them and the diverse international call for their release, or to follow news about the three, visit eIraq's special page: Abduction of Four CPT Members in Iraq.
ABOUT CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKER TEAMS
Though evangelical Christian groups have attempted missionary work in Iraq, CPT members are not missionaries and are strictly devoted to nonviolent peacemaking rooted in Christian pacifism.
CPT has been present in Iraq since October 2002, providing first-hand, independent reports from the region, working with detainees of both United States and Iraqi forces, and training others in non-violent intervention and human rights documentation. Christian Peacemaker Teams is a violence reduction program. Teams of trained peacemakers work in areas of lethal conflict around the world.
