Christian Peacemaker Teams (
CPT) is an international organization set up to support teams of peace workers in conflict areas around the world. These teams believe that they can lower the levels of violence through nonviolent direct action,
human rightsHuman rights refer to the "basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the...
documentation, and
nonviolenceNonviolence is a philosophy and strategy for social change that rejects the use of violence. As such, nonviolence is an alternative to passive acceptance of oppression and armed struggle against it...
training. CPT sums their work up as "...committed to reducing violence by
getting in the way ". CPT has a full time corps of over 30 activists who currently work in
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
,
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
, the
West BankThe West Bank is a landlocked territory and is the eastern part of the Palestinian territories; on the west bank of the River Jordan in the Middle East. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel, which maintains the security of this area. To the east,...
, the
United States–Mexico borderThe Mexico – United States border is the international border between Mexico and the United States. It runs from San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Baja California, in the west to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, and Brownsville, Texas, in the east, and traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from major...
, and Kenora,
OntarioOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. These teams are supported by over 150 reservists who spend two weeks to two months a year on location.
Christianity and CPT
CPT has its roots in the historic
peace churchesPeace churches are Christian churches, groups or communities advocating Christian pacifism. The term historic peace churches refers specifically to three church groups: Church of the Brethren, Mennonites , and Religious Society of Friends .The peace churches agree that Jesus advocated nonviolence...
of North America, and its four supporting denominations are the
Mennonite Church USAThe Mennonite Church USA represents the largest group of Mennonite Christians in the United States. Though the organization is recent, the body has roots in the Radical Reformation of the 16th century. Mennonites make up a large portion of a movement within Christianity called Anabaptism...
,
Mennonite Church CanadaMennonite Church Canada is the conference of Mennonites in Canada, with head offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba.The first Mennonites in Canada arrived from Pennsylvania in 1786. The majority of the Mennonites that migrated to Canada over the next 150 years came directly from Europe...
,
Church of the BrethrenThe Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination originating from the Schwarzenau Brethren organized in 1708 by eight people led by Alexander Mack, a miller, in Schwarzenau , Germany. The Brethren movement began as a melding of Radical Pietist and Anabaptist ideas. The first of its churches...
, and
Friends United MeetingFriends United Meeting is an association of twenty-six yearly meetings of the Religious Society of Friends in North America, Africa, and the Caribbean. In addition there are several individual Monthly meetings and organizations that are members of FUM...
. It is also sponsored by the several Christian groups: "Every Church a Peace Church", "On Earth Peace", "Presbyterian Peace Fellowship", "
Baptist Peace Fellowship of North AmericaThe Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, abbreviated BPFNA, is a nonprofit 501 organization headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
", and the "Society of St. Basil". In conflict areas it works in partnership with Jewish,
Muslim:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits ". Muslim is the participle of the same verb of which Islam is the infinitive. Muslims believe that there is only one God, translated in Arabic as Allah...
and secular peace organizations, such as the
International Solidarity MovementThe International Solidarity Movement is a Palestinian-led organization focused on assisting the Palestinian side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using protests. It was founded in 2001 by Ghassan Andoni, a Palestinian activist; Neta Golan, an Israeli activist; Huwaida Arraf, a...
and
Peace Brigades InternationalPeace Brigades International is an NGO, founded in 1981, which "protects human rights and promotes nonviolent transformation of conflicts". It primarily does this by sending volunteers to accompany human rights defenders whose lives are at risk in areas of conflict and to provide training in...
. Another component of CPT's work is to engage "...congregations, meetings and support groups at home to play a key advocacy role with policy makers."
Although it is a Christian-based organization, CPT does not engage in any type of
missionaryA missionary is a member of a religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith; someone who proselytizes. The word "mission" is derived from the Latin missioninimus A missionary is a member of a religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith;...
activity. Their website states "While CPTers have chosen to follow Jesus Christ, they do not proselytize." This has raised the question of what distinguishes them from similar "secular", organizations;
"All the groups resemble one another other in that they all work to stop violence, but according to CPT's Web site, it has an advantage over secular groups: "In Muslim areas, the Christian nature of CPT helps to create confidence because of a shared sense of monotheism." The group does not believe that its Christianity might also put it at a dangerous disadvantage in areas of the world where religious tensions run high."
While their website also states that Corp members are Christians, there are instances when members of short term delegations have not been. For example one of the CPTers who was held hostage in Iraq,
Harmeet Singh SoodenHarmeet Singh Sooden is a Canadian and New Zealand citizen who volunteered for Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. From November 26, 2005, he was held captive in Iraq with three others and threatened with execution until being freed by multinational forces in an operation on March 23, 2006.Sooden...
, is a
SikhSikh is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. The term has its origin in the Sanskrit term , meaning "disciple, learner" or , meaning "instruction"....
.
History
The inspiration for the group came from
Ron SiderRonald James Sider is a Canadian-born American theologian and Christian activist. He is often identified by others with the Christian left, though he personally disclaims any political inclination. He is the founder of Evangelicals for Social Action, a think-tank which seeks to develop biblical...
at the
Mennonite World ConferenceThe Mennonite World Conference is a global community of Christian churches that facilitates community between Anabaptist-related churches and relates to other Christian world communions and organizations....
in 1984. At it, Sider criticized Mennonites and Brethren in Christ for reducing their peace witness to simple conscientious objection:
Unless we Mennonites and Brethren in Christ are ready to start to die by the thousands in dramatic vigorous new exploits for peace and justice, we should sadly confess that we really never meant what we said....
Unless comfortable North American and European Mennonites and Brethren in Christ are prepared to risk injury and death in nonviolent opposition to the injustice our societies foster and assist in Central America, the Philippines, and South Africa, we dare never whisper another word about pacifism to our sisters and brothers in those desperate lands....
Unless we are prepared to pay the cost of peacemaking, we have no right to claim the label or preach the message.
After a series of meetings, Gene Stoltzfus was hired as the first staff person for the new organization in 1987. Over the next few years CPT trainings and conferences explored various models for international peacemaking. In 1990, just before the
Gulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , known also as the Gulf War, the First Gulf War,or often as the Second Gulf War and by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as The Mother of all Battles, or commonly as Desert Storm, for the military response...
, CPT sent a team of 13 to Iraq for 10 days. This delegation proved to be the first of a number the group sent its first delegations to
HaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Creole- and French-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago...
,
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
, and the
West BankThe West Bank is a landlocked territory and is the eastern part of the Palestinian territories; on the west bank of the River Jordan in the Middle East. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel, which maintains the security of this area. To the east,...
.
Iraq activities
CPT has operated in Iraq since October 2002. Since the
2003 invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq, was led by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia, Denmark, Poland and Spain. Four countries participated with troops during the initial invasion phase, which lasted from March 20 to May 1...
, they have worked with and advocated for families of people detained by the U.S. Military and collected stories of detainee
abuseAbuse refers to the use or treatment of something that is harmful. It can be classed by the target of abuse or the type of abuse.- Classed by targets of abuse include :...
. In January 2004 they released a report documenting routine abuse of Iraqi prisoners held by
Coalition Provisional AuthorityThe Coalition Provisional Authority was established as a transitional government following the invasion of Iraq by the United States, United Kingdom and the other members of the Multinational force in Iraq which was formed to oust the government of Saddam Hussein in 2003...
, well before the photographs of
Abu GhraibThe city of Abu Ghraib in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq is located just west of Baghdad's city center, or northwest of Baghdad International Airport. It has a population of 189,000. The old road to Jordan passes through Abu Ghraib...
prisoners brought international attention to the issue.
Hostage crisis
On 26 November 2005, four human rights workers associated with CPT were kidnapped in
BaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is coterminous. Having a municipal population estimated at 6.5 million, it is the largest city in Iraq and the second largest in the Arab World....
:
- James Loney, 41, of Toronto
Toronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
, CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, program coordinator for CPT Canada
- Harmeet Singh Sooden
Harmeet Singh Sooden is a Canadian and New Zealand citizen who volunteered for Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. From November 26, 2005, he was held captive in Iraq with three others and threatened with execution until being freed by multinational forces in an operation on March 23, 2006.Sooden...
, 32, of CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, an electrical engineer and former McGillMcGill University is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
student who was living in New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
- Norman Kember
Norman Frank Kember is a British peace activist. Kember is an Emeritus Professor of biophysics at the Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, a Baptist, and a longstanding member of the Baptist Peace Fellowship and the Fellowship of Reconciliation...
, 74, of London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, a retired professor of medical studies
- Tom Fox, 54, of Clearbrook, Virginia, U.S., a leader of youth programs at Langley Hill Friends Meeting
The four had planned to visit the Muslim Clerics Association, an influential group of Sunni religious leaders formed in 2003 after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, and were about 100 metres from the entrance to a mosque where the meeting was to take place when they were abducted. Their captors are a previously unknown group, the
Swords of Righteousness BrigadeThe Swords of Righteousness Brigade is a terrorist group who kidnapped four Western peace activists in Iraq on 26 November, 2005, murdered one, and held the remaining three hostage until March 22, 2006, when coalition forces raided the place where the hostages were held...
. The hostages were shown on a video broadcast released worldwide on 29 November by Arab satellite channel
Al JazeeraAl Jazeera , which means "The Island" or "The Peninsula" in Arabic, referring to the network's status as the only independent news network in the Middle East, is a television network headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
. The captors branded their hostages as spies posing as Christian peace activists. The captors threatened to kill the hostages unless the US freed all Iraqi prisoners held in the US and Iraq.
A body found in Iraq on 10 March 2006 was identified later that day as being that of Tom Fox.
On March 23, 2006, the three remaining hostages were rescued from a house near the town of Mishahda by a multinational force. None of the kidnappers were found in the house at the time. The
Telegraph (UK) reported that "A deal had been struck with a man detained the previous night who was one of the leaders of the kidnappers. He was allowed a telephone call to warn his henchmen to leave the kidnap house. When the troops moved in and found the prisoners alive, they also let him go as promised."
The rescue force was led by elements of 'Task Force Black' - a multinational counter-kidnap unit consisting of British, American and Australian special forces and also involved Canadian JTF2 special forces. They were supported by 'Task Force Maroon', a support unit made up of British Paras and marines. The
Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceThe Royal Canadian Mounted Police is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal, provincial and municipal policing body...
and
Canadian Security Intelligence ServiceThe Canadian Security Intelligence Service is the primary intelligence agency of the Canadian government. It is responsible for collecting, analyzing and reporting intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad.Its...
were also involved.
The three surviving hostages were in good medical condition. While captive, they had been allowed to exercise and Kember had received medication he needs.
Although happy that the hostages were freed, CPT placed the responsibility for the kidnapping on the coalition itself: "We believe that the illegal occupation of Iraq by Multinational Forces is the root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and suffering in Iraq." CPT initially made no mention of appreciation to coalition forces for the rescue in its statement, but did so in a later addenda after considerable media attention. It was reported that the CPT had not cooperated with the
SASThe Special Air Service is a special forces regiment within the British Army which has served as a model for the special forces of other countries. The SAS forms a significant section of United Kingdom Special Forces alongside the Special Boat Service , Special Reconnaissance Regiment , and the...
officials who coordinated the rescue. CPT co-director Doug Pritchard stated that they did not want a "military raid" to occur and preferred to work with diplomats.
Work in Colombia
CPT has had a team based in
BarrancabermejaBarrancabermeja is a city and municipality in Santander Department, in northeastern Colombia. It is located on the banks of the Magdalena River in the Middle Magdalena region, 110 km west of Bucaramanga. Founded in 1536, Barrancabermeja is home for the biggest petroleum refinery in Colombia,...
,
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
since 2001. The focus of their work has been accompanying a number of communities along the Opon river, a tributary of the
Magdalena RiverThe Magdalena River , also called Yuma River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about 1,540 kilometres through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure, Mary Magdalene...
. The farmers and fishers from these communities displaced themselves in 2000 due to heavy fighting in 2000 between the
United Self-Defense Forces of ColombiaThe United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia is an umbrella organization of regional paramilitary groups in Colombia, each intending to protect different local economic, social and political interests by fighting insurgents in their areas. It is estimated that it has more than 20,000 militants...
(AUC) and the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of ColombiaThe Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army , also known by the acronym of FARC or FARC-EP, is a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization....
(FARC). Since the community members returned to their homes in 2001, the team has had a nearly daily presence in the area to support the people, work to prevent intimidation by both AUC and FARC and document human rights abuses if they occur. The team also works with Colombian women's groups and human rights groups based in Barrancabermeja in an effort to reduce threats and violent acts carried out by the AUC in the city.
Work in Chiapas, Mexico
CPT has, in the past, also been involved in Chiapas, Mexico, where violence had erupted between the
Zapatista Army of National LiberationThe Zapatista Army of National Liberation is an armed revolutionary group based in Chiapas, the southernmost, and one of the poorest, states of Mexico...
and the Mexican government. CPT's long-term presence began in June 1998. In Chiapas, CPT partnered with a Christian civil society group called
Las AbejasLas Abejas, or "The Bees," is a Christian pacifist civil society group of Tztotzil Maya formed in Chenalho, Chiapas in 1992 following a familial property dispute that left one person killed. When members of the community took the injured man to the nearest town for medical attention, they were...
(the Bees) that shares a commitment to pacifism. Their joint activities included going to the bases of the Mexican military to pray.
Work in the Palestinian territories
CPT has two teams in the
Palestinian territoriesThe Palestinian territories are composed of two discontiguous regions, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, whose final status has yet to be determined. The territories, which were originally contained within the British Mandate of Palestine, were captured and occupied by Jordan and by Egypt in the...
, one in
HebronHebron is the largest city in the West Bank, located in the south, 30 kilometers south of Jerusalem. It is home to some 166,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Israelis living in and around the historic Jewish Quarter. Hebron lies 930 meters above sea level...
and one is At-Tuwani. Part of their daily routines includes school patrol, and monitoring settler violence and soldier home invasions. The teams also work against home demolitions. The CPT says the Israeli occupation is "violent", and that reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis can only flourish when the occupation ends.
In 2004, two CPT members, Kim Lamberty and Chris Brown in At-Tuwani were severely injured when Israeli settlers attacked them as they were walking children to school. A few days later, the team, along with
Operation DoveIn World War II, Operation Dove was the glider-borne assault conducted as part of the invasion of southern France on 15 August, 1944. Over three hundred gliders carried three thousand soldiers and critical equipment to reinforce paratroopers who had already landed....
and
Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international secular non-governmental organisation which defines its mission as "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated." Founded in London in 1961, AI...
members were again attacked. In response to these attacks, the Israeli Knesset Committee for Children's Rights initiated an order to have soldiers escort the Palestinian children to school in At-Tuwani. However, CPT's report records that as of 10 November 2006, settlers had attacked or harassed the schoolchildren 40 times, in spite of the order by the Israeli Knesset Committee for Children's Rights to protect the children.
CPT has however condemned Palestinian violence against Israeli civilians. For example, when Egged bus #18 was bombed two Sundays in a row, CPTer Kathy Kern publicized the fact that she would ride the bus the following Sunday in protest.
Further reading
- Brown, Tricia Gates Getting in the Way: Stories from Christian Peacemaker Teams, Herald Press, 2005.
- Gish, Arthur G. Hebron Journal: Stories of Nonviolent Peacemaking, Herald Press, 2001.
External links