CPTnet
13 February 2006
UNITED KINGDOM: British religious leaders call for end to detention without trial in Iraq, freedom for missing CPTers
Follow the extended link for the rest of the story. And take the time to see who signed this statement. It is a powerful witness to the desire for peace and equal treatment. And, honestly, some of the names are cool. How many titles can one preacher have?!
On 6 February 2006 Christian and Muslim leaders in the United Kingdom issued
a joint statement calling for justice for Iraqi detainees and for the
release of four missing Christian Peacemaker Team members--Norman Kember,
Tom Fox, Harmeet Singh Sooden and James Loney --who have been held in Iraq
since
26 November 2005.
A description of the press conference in which religious leaders made this
statement public may be found [here]
6th February 2006
The release of a new video showing Norman Kember, Tom Fox, Harmeet Singh
Sooden and James Loney, working in Iraq with Christian Peacemaker Teams, is
cause for relief as well as anxiety. Relief that the long silence with no
news of their well-being has been broken, is mixed with apprehension at the
continued threat to their lives.
Since their abduction on 26th November 2005 religious leaders and religious
groups throughout the world have spoken in their support - acknowledging
that they are men of nonviolence and urging that they may be released to
continue their work for peace and human rights on behalf of the people of
Iraq. At this urgent moment in time we wish to reaffirm this support and
invite those who hold them to return them to their families.
At the same time we know that thousands of Iraqis have been held without
charge and detained since the war in Iraq began almost three years ago. The
practice of detention without charge, sometimes exacerbated by torture and
abuse, cannot be allowed to continue as it heightens the level of fear and
feeds into a terrible cycle of violence. Just as we are concerned for our
brothers with Christian Peacemaker Teams we are also concerned for Iraqi
detainees and for their families.
We long for true peace to be restored to the people of Iraq and we ask our
government to do all it can to secure this peace. This must include:
- clear condemnation of detention without charge and the abuse of
prisoners
- accountability on the part of all UK military personnel for their
treatment of prisoners and of the Iraqi people
- work with the Iraqi authorities to ensure that the highest United
Nations human rights standards of treatment and due process for detainees
are met With people of faith throughout the world we pray that we may be
united and steadfast in our work for peace for the people of Iraq
* Dr David Goodbourn, General Secretary of Churches Together in Britain
and Ireland
* Rev David J Kerr, President of CTBI, former President of the Methodist
Church in Ireland
* Revd David Coffey, the General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great
Britain
* Rt Revd Malcolm McMahon, National President of Pax Christi and Bishop
of RC Diocese of Nottingham.
* Rt Revd Martyn Jarrett, Anglican Diocese of Beverley
* Rt Revd Peter Price, Anglican Bishop of Bath and Wells
* Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate, co-founder of Peace
People
* Rt Revd Peter Broadbent, Anglican Bishop of Willesden
* Very Rev Nicholas Frayling, The Dean, Chichester Cathedral
* Dr M Aziz Nour, Council of Oriental Orthodox Churches
* Dr Daud Abdullah, Assistant Secretary General, Muslim Council of
Britain
* Rt Revd Edwin Regan, RC Bishop of Wrexham Diocese
* Anas Altikriti, former President, Muslim Association of Britain
* Revd John Rackley, Past-President of Baptist Union of Great Britain and
Ireland, Manvers Street Baptist Church, Bath
* Most Rev Bruce Cameron, Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney and Primus of the
Scottish Episcopal Church.
* Rt Revd James Bell, Anglican Bishop of Knaresborough
* Revd Peter Brain, Moderator, North Western Synod of the United Reformed
Church
* David G Deeks, General Secretary, British Methodist Church
* Revd. Robert Gardiner, Harrow Baptist Church
* John Humphreys, Moderator, Synod of Scotland, United Reformed Church
* Revd Dr Keith Clements, former General Secretary, Conference of
European
* Rt. Revd. Derek Rawcliffe (former Bishop of Glasgow)
* Rt Rev John McOwat, Bishop of the Moravian Church
* Rt. Revd. Colin Scott, Hon. Asst. Bishop of Leicester
* Bruce Kent, Vice-President of Pax Christi
* Stewart Hemsley, Chair, Pax Christi
* Revd Alan Betteridge, President, Baptist Peace Fellowship
* Pat Took, London Baptist Association Regional Team Leader Minister
* Pamala McDougall on behalf of Quakers - Religious Society of Friends,
Scotland
* Gillian Collins, Secretary Baptist Peace Fellowship
* Chris Cole, Director, Fellowship of Reconciliation England
* Christoph Hellmich (Senior), German-speaking Synod of Lutheran,
Reformed and United Congregations in Great Britain.
* Hashir Faruqi, Chief Editor, Impact International on Islamic Affairs
* Mary Roe, Chair, Anglican Pacifist Fellowship.
* The Reverend Baroness Richardson of Calow
* Very Rev Antony Lester OCarm, Prior Provincial, British Province of
Carmelites
* Revd Dewi Hughes, The General Secretary of the Union of Welsh
Independent Churches
* Most Revd Samuel Ade Abidoye Baba Aladura and Chairman The Cherubim and
Seraphim Movement Church Worldwide
* Sr Mary Hinde, Provincial, on behalf of the Sisters of the Society of
the Sacred Heart.
* Revd Gethin Abraham-Williams General Secretary, Churches Together in
Wales: CYTUN and (Mrs) Denise Abraham-Williams.
* Revd Beth Torkington, Chair, Western District Moravian Church
* Norman Wood, Monifieth, Scotland
* Rev Jill Clancy
Posted by tripp at February 13, 2006 12:58 PM