A former director of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) has written an article in response to various questions being raised in the wake of the operation to free the three peacemaker hostages; British Norman Kember, and Canadians Harmeet Singh Sooden and Jim Loney.
Following their rescue on Thursday, Gene Stoltzfus posted the article on the website of think-tank Ekklesia, which works to promote peacemaking and non-violent initiatives in partnership with CPT in the UK.In the article, Sloltzfus brings up three questions: Who carries out operations like this? Why do people do such things? What does this experience mean for the future of a non-violent answer to terrorism?
"There may be more than one answer to these inter-related questions - answers that will stretch our imaginations. I worked with the first question several months ago where I tried to place this incident in the worldwide culture of war and terrorism.
But that was just a start, according to Sloltzfus. He urged that an action plan is needed for the whole peacemaking family, and that a real plan needs to be set up to end captivity and release all detainees.
"Our hearts tell us we need a comprehensive answer to war and terrorism that has integrity not only to respond to this incident but long into the future for our human family."Finding answers to these questions may help us complete our cautious celebration for the release of the Baghdad peacemakers."
He adds: "Christian peacemakers have great respect for those who carried out the operation to free the captives, but they nevertheless remain firmly committed to non-violence 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."
Quoting the words of Jesus Christ about peacemaking in the New Testament, which have inspired such figures as Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr, he says: "I would like to invite congregations and parishes to take one or more Christian education hours to discuss the following scripture, Matthew 5:9-15, in the backdrop of this experience of captivity and the ongoing crisis of detainees and captives."
