Tribute to a
Peacemaker:
Our Friend Tom Fox
Florence Fullerton
(Baltimore
Yearly Meeting
waitinginthe
light.blogspot.com
Selected
Entries from
Tom
FoxÕs blog
Tribute to a Peacemaker:
Our Friend Tom Fox
On March 9, 2006 the
body of Tom Fox, Quaker, peace activist, and member of Christian Peacemaker
Teams, was found in Baghdad. He had died from gunshot wounds to the head and
chest. The 54-year-old Friend from Clear Brook Virginia, member of Langley Hill
Friends Meeting, had been taken hostage on November 26, 2005 together with 3
CPT team mates. His team mates
were safely released in Baghdad on March 23.
Tom had worked for two years
with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Palestine and Iraq. Before his capture he had been working with
Iraqi human rights organizations to promote peace. He provided first-hand, independent reports from the region,
worked with detainees of both United States and Iraqi forces, and trained
others in nonviolent intervention and human rights documentation. In his work with incarcerated Iraqis,
he often served as the only link between them and their families on the
outside. Fox also escorted
shipments of medicine to clinics and hospitals and worked to form an Islamic
Peacemakers Team.
The day after his body was
found, Christian Peacemaker Teams responded to the news of TomÕs death by
asking Òthat everyone set aside inclinations to vilify or demonize others, no
matter what they have done. In
TomÕs own words: ÔWe reject violence to punish anyone. We ask that there be no retaliation on
relatives or property. We forgive
those who consider us their enemies.
We hope that in loving both friends and enemies and by intervening
nonviolently to aid those who are systematically oppressed, we can contribute in
some small way to transforming this volatile situation.ÕÓ
At home, friends came together
and testified to TomÕs willingness to give himself in service:
From the Quakers in Baltimore
Yearly Meeting, the wider Quaker organization to which his home meeting
belonged: ÒFox was known as a person who quietly supported youth and their
elders, and who was a model of someone living out his beliefs. The founder of Quakerism, George Fox,
had written Ô É be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands,
nations, wherever you come, that your carriage and life may preach among all
sorts of people, and to everyone.Õ
Tom used a modern paraphrase of this quote as the motto of the blog he
wrote while in Iraq: ÔBe patterns, be examples in every country, place, or
nation that you visit, so that your bearing and life might communicate with all
people. Then youÕll happily walk
across the earth to evoke that of God in everybody. So that you will be seen as a blessing
in their eyes and you will receive a blessing from that of God in them.ÕÓ
From the members
of his home meeting, Langley Hill Friends Meeting in Virginia: ÒWhen Tom Fox
went to Iraq with the Christian Peacemaker Teams, we saw a side of him we were
not aware of before. He had
prepared himself for the possibility he would not return from Iraq. In October
2004 he wrote, ÔI am to stand firm against the kidnapper as I am to stand firm
against the soldier. Does that mean I walk into a raging battle to confront the
soldiers? Does that mean I walk
the streets of Baghdad with a sign saying "American for the Taking"?
No to both counts. But if Jesus and Gandhi were right, then I am asked to risk
my life and if I lose it to be as forgiving as they were when murdered by the forces
of Satan.ÕÓ
And from his personal friends:
ÒTom had a strong faith and a
strong belief that he was ÔcalledÕ to go to Iraq, despite the dangers he knew
were there.Ó— Pearl Hoover, minister of the Northern Virginia Mennonite
Church in Fairfax VA.
"This guy was not after
martyrdom by any means. He actually believed in his heart that he would better
them by his conviction, his beliefs and his skills, and I think [he] largely
succeeded. What he leaves behind is a tremendous challenge for the rest of us
and a guiding force." —Paul Slattery
ÒTom was so ordinary in
some ways, but that is what is important to remember; it doesnÕt take a
superhuman kind of person to do what he did. Tom didnÕt do anything other than
be faithful to what he believed in." —Hoyt Maulden
ÒTom Fox can teach us
about forgiveness. He would want
us to forgive the person who killed him because his violent death was an act of
fear, not an act of terrorismÉ. He would be quick to point out that thousands
of Iraqis have lost loved ones, through kidnapping or death, for
decades.Ó— Amber Healy
Christian Peacemaker Teams
commemorated Tom Fox in Baghdad by erecting traditional funeral banners at the
site where his body was found. On the
CPT web site, Doug Pritchard wrote that these banners are all too common in
Iraq today. In careful
consultation with Iraqis, they painted the following words on the large black
banners, in Arabic: ÒIn memory of Tom Fox in this place. Christian Peacemaker Teams declares,
ÔWe are for God and we are from God.Õ
To those who held him we declare God has forgiven you.Ó The first sentence notes the place of
his body. The second is a traditional condolence from the QurÕan. The third sentence echoes Jesus cry
from the cross ÒFather forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.Ó
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 March 12. Fifty Christian and Muslim friends of TomÕs attended. The team read from TomÕs writings, gave
a eulogy, and sang his favorite hymn, ÒBe Thou My Vision.Ó After the service,
the team was sharing with an Iraqi friend their concern for TomÕs children and
their regrets that any children they might have will never know their
grandfather. The friend replied,
ÒTom is a hero. It will be an
honor 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 donÕt know. You are angels.Ó
* * *
Tom showed all of us that Òpeace
is possible. We just have to
remember that it still exists, that it can be found in times of turmoil and
grief and war and seemingly insurmountable pain and suffering. The light is
always there, even in the darkest night, the most frightening storm, the most
painful tests. Peace is always within reach if you stretch out your hand to
find it.Ó -- Amber Healy
Tom Fox shared many
inspiring insights of his faith on his blog site. On August 30, 2005, he wrote "Is there something in life
that will fill this vacuum and prevent this sad wearing away of the heart?É The
only Ôsomething in my lifeÕ I can hold onto is to do what little I can to bring
about the creation of the Peaceable Realm of God." In 2004 he wrote of a "very clear
image" that had emerged in worship... Òof a land of shadows and darkness.
But within that land candles were burning; not many but enough to shed some
light on the landscape. Some candles disappeared and it was my sense that their
light was taken away for protection. Other candles burned until nothing was
left and a small number of candles seemed to have their light snuffed out by
the shadows and the darkness. What
was most striking to me was that as the candles that burned until the end and as
the candles whose light was snuffed out ceased to burn, more candles came into
being, seemingly to build on their light.Ó
Florence Fullerton
(Baltimore Yearly
Meeting)
waitinginthe
light.blogspot.com
Selected
Entries from Tom FoxÕs blog
One Cool October
Night in Baghdad
Tuesday, November 2nd,
2004
Sunday
night mass at St. RaphaelÕs
The cool evening breeze of Baghdad in late October
Windows open letting the sounds at twilight enter in
The
tenth day of Ramadan
The muazzin begins his call to prayer from the minaret
Sound travels for blocks over the speaker system
Mass
begins as the first chants of the azhan sound out
God is greater, God is greater
God have mercy, God have mercy
Sitting
near the window the volume from the altar
Matches exactly the volume from the minaret
The sounds of both faiths each going into one of my ears
Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth
The true light that shines on everyone was
coming into the world
Rush to prayer, rush to prayer/ Our Father who art in heaven
Songs
of the eight-note scale merge with the chanting of twenty-four
Blending together in my ears to form a beautiful bi-religionality
Chant and song forming sounds sent to Heaven.
The
God of Abraham listening to the sounds of the evening
Might think that all is well with creation here on earth
The children of Abraham are singing my praises in their own voice
Later that cool October night in Baghdad
The roar of F-16Õs returning from another night of missile attacks
The rumble of a car bomb exploding on
Karrada Street
I declare that there is
no god but God
The Peace of God be with you, the Peace of
God be with you
I declare that there is no god but God
WriterÕs note: For the sake of transparency, I admit while I am trying
to learn Arabic, I donÕt have a clue what part of the QurÕan was being recited
that night. I was having a lot of images of light, both physical and spiritual.
Later I opened up a translation from the 24th surah of the QurÕan titled, ÒThe
LightÓ and wrote down the first line my eyes fell upon. I used a translation of
the call to prayer, the azhan, by Yahiya Emerick. ×
Promoting the Justice
of God
Tuesday, March 1st, 2005
The following talk was given at Northern
Virginia Mennonite Church on Feb. 27th, 2005.
Being part of Christian Peacemaker Teams in
Iraq has led me to many ÒfirstsÓ- first time in the Middle East, first time in
a war zone, first time being targeted as Òthe enemyÓ due to being an American.
Now the first time to stand before a religious community as a member of CPT and
give a talk during a worship service. And I would have to say that I am more nervous
about this ÒfirstÓ than I was about the others.
As a member of a silent Quaker Meeting, one aspect of the Mennonite tradition I
have learned to appreciate is that of looking to Scripture as a basis for oneÕs
spiritual journey. And so it seemed appropriate to use a passage from scripture
as the basis of this talk. The passage that I was led to use this morning is
from the Letter of James.
This is from the first chapter of James, verses 19-22. ÒEach of you must be
quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to be angry. For a personÕs anger
cannot promote the justice of God. Away then with all that is unclean, and the
malice that hurries to excess. Quietly accept the messages planted in your
hearts, which can bring you salvation. Only be sure that you act on the
messages and do not merely listen to them.Ó
We did a lot of listening in Iraq with CPT, and the stories we heard were not
always easy to hear. And after hearing them I would often find myself becoming
quick to pass judgment on others and quick to become angry. The first time I
participated in human rights documentation was last September. We interviewed
an Iraqi, Dr. Ammad, who had been detained by American forces in May of 2003.
He was imprisoned for six months, during which time he was subjected to many of
the interrogation methods you are all too familiar with. He said that the
people abusing him told him they were FBI (aside- but if you have read over the
FBI documents recently released by the Freedom of Information Act on the ACLU
website, these people were probably contracted security pretending to be FBI).
But in any case, I was taking the notes as he described how they pulled out one
of his fingernails. I listened as he described the beatings and showed us the
scars. I felt myself becoming very angry at the thought of these horrible
actions being done by my own countrymen and women.
After I left Iraq in December, I spent several weeks with the CPT project team
in Hebron in the West Bank. Another CPTer and I traveled to the Palestinian
village of Jayyous (which is near Ramallah) to participate in an action related
to the Israeli security fence. We stayed with a European NGO (EAPPI- Ecumenical
Accompaniment Program [sic] for
Palestine and Israel). They had interviewed a family that had just had their
home demolished to make way for a new section of the security fence. I listened
as they described the family watching the bulldozers level the home that they
had lived in for generations. I again felt myself becoming judgmental and angry
as I was told that the bulldozers being used were made in my country expressly
for such demolitions.
Now I want to be clear that IÕm not saying that only Americans and Israelis are
capable of such actions. I have no doubt that at the same time I was listening
to Dr. AmmadÕs story, there were people in America listening to the story of a
family whose loved one had been killed by insurgents in Iraq. or at the same
time I was listening to the story of the home demolitions, there were people
listening to the story of a survivor of a suicide bomber in Tel Aviv.
But the pattern seems to repeat itself over and over throughout history. Human
beings listening to stories of abuse perpetrated by other human beings. Then
speaking out against those abuses and feeling the surge of anger inside of them
which can then lead to violent retaliatory action so that Òjustice will be
served.Ó
ÒBringing them to justiceÓ is the refrain no matter what side you are on. And
it is a violent justice-- the justice of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a
tooth. Is there no other way?
One thing that has been in my heart the most in these first months of being a
part of CPT has been getting to know people (both within CPT and with other
peace and violence-reduction organizations) who have committed themselves to
not giving in to anger when faced with injustice. But, and perhaps I am wrong,
I have also experienced the sense that a number of these people have been
affected by being exposed to so much violence and anger and retaliatory
violence. Many I have experienced as being bitter-- as if they have encased
themselves in a hard shell to protect their hearts from exposure to the pain
and suffering they live with daily. Others I have experienced as being
burdened-- as if they have absorbed much pain and suffering to try and lighten
the load for those they live with daily.
Must these be the alternatives to a violent response to anger? James says that,
ÒA personÕs anger cannot promote the justice of God.Ó No matter if we succumb to anger, harden ourselves against
anger or absorb anger; none of these ways can promote the justice of God. But
does that mean we are not allowed to feel anger? James says that we need to be
slow to anger and that first we need to listen carefully, next to put some
words to our feelings and then finally express our anger. But clearly he does
not say Ònever become angry.Ó However, he does say that our response to anger,
no matter what form it takes, cannot promote GodÕs justice. So then, what do we
do with our anger? James says we need to turn that anger over to God and then,
ÒQuietly accept the messages planted in our hearts.Ó
One of the most positive experiences I had during my time in the Middle East
happened in that same village of Jayyous I mentioned earlier. We were part of a
non-violent action that was jointly planned by Israeli peace activists and the
Palestinian village council. The villagers have plenty to be angry about. The
village is separated from its fields, olive groves and greenhouses by the
security fence. There is a gate that is opened three times daily to let some
(less than 10% of the villagers have permits) go across and work their crops.
Even more of a threat is that an Israeli colony (the Arabic word for settlement
is also the Arabic word for colony) is expanding towards their olive groves.
But rather than resort to violence, or denial, or shame as a response to their
justifiable anger, the village council worked through their anger and came out
on the other side-- the side of peaceful, non-violent, direct actions. In the
action that I participated in that Friday in January, over two hundred citizens
of Israel (mostly from the Gush Shalom peace organization) along with some
Jayyous farmers and about fifty internationals spent the morning planting olive
tree saplings in the area that had been bulldozed as part of the expansion
plan. The destruction had been halted, at least for the present time, by an
Israeli court order (the colony is over ten kilometers on the Palestinian side
of the Green Line, the UN-recognized boundary between Israel and the West
Bank). After the planting, they peacefully marched towards the security fence.
At the same time, after Friday prayers, most of the village (about one hundred
and fifty) along with about twenty internationals peacefully marched down the
hill to their side of the security fence. During the weeks of planning, the
Israeli and Palestinian activists came up with the idea to negotiate a symbolic
ÒcrossingÓ of the security fence with an olive tree from the uprooted grove to
be replanted in the village. It took an hour of hard negotiating with the
hundred or so heavily armed Israeli troops, but in the end three Israelis and
one Palestinian took an olive tree across the barrier and gave it to the owner
of the grove that had been uprooted (he did not at that time have a permit to
cross the fence to work his lands).
It was a tiny thing-- but it was totally peaceful, and there was a sense of joy
and celebration and much waving of hands in a spirit of friendship and peace
between the Palestinians on one side and the Israelis on the other. And the
press coverage of the event (both Palestinian and Israeli) was uniformly
positive.
Here was a seed that can take root. Here were people working through their
anger and coming out the other side committed to peace. Here were people
listening to their hearts and listening to each other. Here a tiny part of the
Peaceable Realm was created. Here was the justice of God taking shape. ×
Throwing Open
the Book
Thursday May 12th, 2005
It was the 20th of April, the
birthday of the prophet Mohammed. We had guests from Najaf and Kerbala visiting
us for dinner that night. For grace before the meal, a CPTer went into the
office and opened up the teamÕs English/ Arabic QuÕran and put his finger down
on this passage,
ÓOne day shalt thou see the believing men and the believing women- how
their Light runs forward before them. And by their right hands their greeting
will be, ÔGood News for you this Day! Gardens beneath which flow rivers! To
dwell therein for you! This indeed is the highest achievement.Ó Surra LV ÒGod
Most GraciousÓ section 2, verse 12.
We asked one of our guests to recite it in Arabic and then a CPTer would read
the English translation. It was a passage the guest knew from memory. This
opened up a discussion of the tradition in Islam, Christianity and Judaism of
throwing open the holy book of that faith tradition and reading the first
passage that your eyes fall upon. Is this superstition? Does it have any
relevance for our broken lives and chaotic world?
Many people have said that there is no logical, rational reason for CPT to be
in Iraq right now. The level of violence, which subsided after the elections,
has risen each week until now the attacks and kidnappings of Iraqi officials,
civilians and internationals are as bad or worse than the months leading up to
the election. The infrastructure of the country continues to deteriorate. The
people of Iraq appear weary. The people of Iraq are angry. The people of Iraq
placed so much hope in the election process, but now it seems as if the elected
officials are subsuming to the politics of factionalism. This week, a member of
the Provisional Assembly was entering the Green Zone to attend a session and he
apparently seemed threatening to U.S. military guards. They arrested him by
subduing him on the ground with a soldierÕs boot on his throat. When he did
make it into the Assembly session, he was so distraught that he wept. Crying in
public is not something that is a cultural norm in this society for a man. Why
is CPT here when the Òprincipalities and powersÓ seem to be in total control?
What can a few (currently three) of us do in the face of such massive physical
and structural violence?
We are throwing ourselves open to the possibility of GodÕs grace bringing some
rays of light to the shadowy landscape that is Iraq. We are letting ourselves
be guided by something that is beyond rational, intellectual analysis. Gardens
beneath which flow rivers can again be the dwelling place for the people of Iraq.
Everyone whose government and corporations are playing a role in this land
needs to throw open the book of their heart. They need to let their Light run
before them as they bring redemption to those in power who are seeking to rule
from a place of fear, violence and shadows. That truly would be the highest
achievement. ×
Acknowledgements
Cover
Photo: Tom Fox (on lower right) with
Palestinian refugees on the Iraq/Syria border in October 2005. Courtesy of Christian Peacemaker Teams.
Information
sources:
The web site for
Langley Hill Monthly Meeting:
http://www.quaker.org/langleyhill/
The web site for
Christian Peacemaker Teams:
Tom FoxÕs web log:
http://www.waitinginthelight.blogspot.com/
Amber Healy is a
reporter for www.connectionnewspapers.com in Fairfax
County, Virginia. The quotes are
from a commentary she wrote on March 23, 2006, titled ÒA Simple Twist of
Fate.Ó
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