I am working to have the Presbyterian Church in the United States to denounce torture and to demand the prosecution of people responsible for it. Your taking these people captive, and worse yet, harming them will make our work harder if not impossible. Please release them unharmed.
It is important that these good people will live , especialy because there are so few generous and coragious people like this. Fight the bad guys not the good ones!
bismillah al rahman al rahim,
lutfan habibayi, remember that the Prophet (PBUH) strove for universal brotherhood and adhered to strict rules of warfare. I trust that these universal brothers and sisters who are in your company are children of Allah, and wish for your peace and safety. Please use your gift to grant the same to them.
Imagine someone like me (who they call a "Self-Hating Jew") signing something like this! The real issue is liberal vs. conservative - not Muslim vs. Jew.
As a Muslim, I appeal to the hostage takers to release these captives who came to Iraq to support the just cause of the liberation of Iraq from foreign tyranny. They came because they followed their conscience and are true ahl-i kitab. To imprison or kill them is contrary to the Qur'an and the sunnah of the Holy Prophet, Peace be upon him.
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 bel
Regardless of your beliefs, what sid eof this war your on, or who you pray too, these people are trying to bring a little sanity back into the lives of the people that have to live in the middle of this war.
These people mean you no harm. I believe they are working for the greater cause of peace in the Middle East, rather than some hidden espionage of proselytizing purpose. I beg the people holding these peace activists to release them, in the name of humanity.
Ecumenical Peace Institute/Clergy and Laity Concerned has worked in the San Francisco Bay Area first to stop the sanctions on Iraq, then also to try to prevent the looming war on Iraq, and continues to work to bring a rapid end to the war of occupation waged by the U.S. on the people of Iraq. We support CPT and its work to reduce violence in many places.
Others who asked to sign but have no email are:
Leslie Mariscal
Stephanie Mariscal
Lorene Blanchard
Pearl Janzen
Ethel Harder
Ruth Buxman
Paul Buxman
Richard Peterson
This is wrong. They were there to help and they stood for something good among so many people who stand for war and evil. Please let them go they are your friends and our friends and they mean no harm.
If anything, peace speaks universally. Peace is the goal of these fine men. Only hatred opposes peace. Let us all pray for peace and resolution to all conflicts. In this time of Advent, we pray, "Come Lord Jesus!"
