CPTnet
25 March 2006
IRAQ: Tom Fox commemorated in Baghdad
by Doug Pritchard
The Christian Peacemaker Team in Baghdad has erected traditional Iraqi
funeral banners at the site where Tom Fox's body was found. These banners
are all too common in Iraq today. After careful consultation with Iraqis,
they have painted the following words on the large black banners, in Arabic:
"In memory of Tom Fox in this place. Christian Peacemaker Teams declares,
'We are for God and we are from God.'To those who held him we declare God
has forgiven you."
The first sentence notes the place of his body. The second sentence is a
traditional condolence from the Quran. The third sentence echoes of Jesus'
cry from the Cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they
are doing" (Luke 23:34). It is also in keeping with the local understanding
that people do not forgive, only God can forgive.
A memorial service was held for Tom at a local church in Baghdad on 12
March. Fifty Christian and Muslim friends of Tom attended. The team read
from Tom's writings, did a eulogy, and sang his favourite hymn, "Be Thou My
Vision." After the service, the team was sharing with an Iraqi friend their
concern for Tom's children and their regrets that any children that they
might have will never know their grandfather. The friend replied, "Tom is a
hero. It will be an honour for those children to have a grandfather who died
in this way and to tell their children about him. I never met anyone like
you people who would come here, at this time, to people whom you don't know.
You are angels."
After Tom's death, an Iraqi co-worker asked CPT's Iraq team, "So, are you
staying?" The team replied that, after full resolution of the current
hostage crisis, they would need to discern what to do next. They would need
to ask Iraqi advisors and friends if they felt that there was work for them
to do. They would need to ask if there were Iraqis willing to work with us.
They would need to ask within CPT if there were CPT workers willing to come.
The Iraqi responded, "Yes, there is work for you to do here. Yes, there are
people to work with you here. Are you staying?"
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