U.S. Christian Group Names Captives in Iraq, Blames U.S., U.K.

Nov. 30 (Bloomberg) -- The four Western peace activists kidnapped in Iraq have been identified by their Chicago-based Christian antiwar group, which blamed their plight on the U.S. and the U.K. governments.

Christian Peacemaker Teams named Tom Fox, 54, of Springfield, Virginia, James Loney, 41, of Toronto, Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, of Canada, and Norman Kember, 74, of London, as the captives, according to a statement on its Web site dated today.

``We are angry because what has happened to our teammates is the result of the actions of the U.S. and U.K. governments due to the illegal attack on Iraq and the continuing occupation and oppression of its people,'' the statement said.

The Arab television network al-Jazeera said a previously unknown insurgent group calling itself the Swords of Righteousness Brigade, has accused the men of being U.S. spies. Al-Jazeera broadcast a videotape from the captors that shows the men, who were kidnapped Nov. 26, sitting against a blank wall.

``We were disturbed by seeing the video and believe that repeated showing of it will endanger the lives of our friends,'' the Christian group's statement said.

Kimberly Prince, a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams, said in a telephone interview from Chicago that the group doesn't want U.S.-led military forces to attempt to free the hostages.

``We never want violence to be used to save our lives,'' Prince said.

The group is working toward the release of the activists with the help of organizations in Iraq that Prince declined to name.

Fox is a Quaker, a father of two children and an ``accomplished musician,'' according to the Christian group.

Virginia Connection

Fox came back to northern Virginia twice a year from Iraq and would speak to groups at the Langley Hill Friends Meeting in the town of McLean, a Washington suburb, the Washington Post reported. About 400 people attended a Nov. 27 prayer service for him there, the Post cited a friend as saying.

In a May 17 entry on his blog, Fox gave impressions of the violence in Iraq.

``The 17th century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes described the ultimate nightmare of any society as being `the war of the all against the all,''' the entry says. ``Such is the state of existence here in Iraq. When the U.S.-led invasion tore away the façade of the state of Iraq, a torrent of religious, ethnic, tribal and cultural tensions that had festered for generations was unleashed.''

Other Captives

Kember, a grandfather and retired professor, ``has been a pacifist all his life,'' the statement from the Christian group said.

Loney, a trained mediator, has spent years working with homeless people, the group said.

``My hope in practicing non-violence is that I can be a conduit for the transformative power of God's love acting upon me as much as I hope it will act upon others around me,'' Loney once wrote, according to the group.

Sooden, an electrical engineer, is studying to get a graduate degree in English literature at Auckland University in New Zealand, the Web statement said.

Christian Peacemaker Teams is sponsored by several churches, including the U.S. and Canadian Mennonite Churches and the Friends United Meeting, according to the Web site.

To contact the reporter on this story: Judy Mathewson in Washington at jmathewson@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ken Fireman at kfireman1@bloomberg.net;