Posted on 03/25/2006 2:11:27 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
Iraq's embassy to Canada lashed out at the Christian Peacemaker Teams Friday, calling them "phoney pacifists" and "dupes" after the antiwar group responded to the rescue of three of its kidnapped activists by condemning the U.S.-led military intervention in Iraq.
The Iraqi embassy called CPT "willfully ignorant" and "outrageous," and accused the Chicago-based group of being on the side of anti- democratic forces in Iraq.
"The Christian Peacemaker Teams practises the kind of politics that automatically nominate them as dupes for jihadism and fascism," the embassy's statement said.
A British-led special forces team on Thursday rescued three CPT members, who had been kidnapped in Baghdad nearly four months earlier.
They included James Loney, 41, of Toronto; Harmeet Singh Sooden, 33, a Canadian who had been living in New Zealand; and British national Norman Kember, 74. The body of a fourth hostage, American Tom Fox, was found dumped earlier this month.
The day of the rescue, CPT issued a statement blaming the "illegal occupation" of Iraq for the kidnapping. The group said the hostages were "motivated by a passion for justice and peace to live out a non-violent alternative in a nation wracked by armed conflict."
"They knew that their only protection was in the power of the love of God and of their Iraqi and international co-workers," CPT's statement said. "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. The occupation must end."
The Daily Telegraph in London is reporting today that the Christian activists refused to fully co-operate with an intelligence unit sent to debrief them. Based on an interview with a security source, the newspaper claims the activists said co-operating would contradict their Christian principles.
Kember, the British hostage, left Iraq for the United Kingdom Friday. The Canadians are expected to leave Baghdad today, according to Maxine Nash, a CPT worker in Baghdad. Sooden is headed to New Zealand, where his family lives, while Loney will return to Ontario.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper confirmed the hostages are headed home, but would not say when they would arrive.
"They're still in Iraq. I really can't tell you a lot more. They're coming home on the weekend," Harper said in Ottawa.
The prime minister refused to give more details of how the three men were freed.
"No length of time would allow me to release those details," he said. New details did emerge Friday about the men's treatment during their confinement. Nash said the men struggled to communicate with their captors. Only Fox spoke a small amount of Arabic, so they used hand signals.
The men also said they had not been physically abused: They were given food and kept somewhat warm during the long winter. The main problem they encountered during 118 days of captivity, Nash said, was boredom.
"If you're sitting there day after day with nothing to do, that must be a pretty boring thing," Nash said. "There were certainly times when they were fearful, mostly because of the unknown -- for example, when Tom Fox was taken and not returned."
Fox, the American hostage, disappeared from the group on Feb. 12, Nash said. The hostages were initially under the impression he had been freed, but realized he may have met another fate after catching a glimpse of his face on television.
The hostages did not learn for certain Fox was dead until after their release.
CPT workers in Iraq are also denying rumours Fox was tortured before he was killed. Nash cited two unidentified "independent sources" who said the American had been shot in the head and chest, but had not been tortured.
:)
FYI
Guess that makes it alright in the minds of these numbskulls.
Glad to see the Iraqi Embassy gets it; the hostages are dupes, aiding and abetting Jihadists who are h*ll bent to kill them someday.
How should we define these "Christian pacifists"? Useful idiots, or useless idiots? I don't think Christianity teaches ingratitude and treason.
They totally refused to debrief with those who RESCUED them? grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
"Phoney pacificts"and "dupes" aka usefull idiots.BTW,has anyone heard from Jill Carroll(sp?)lately?
Outstanding response!!
Uh...what do they call what happened to Tom Fox...a tickle game gone bad?
Fools....
How do you enter Iraq without a visa? Why not simply reject visas for these people?
Next time they can bring their own rescue team!
Suppose you lost a family member or friend in that rescue mission. How would you feel? What would you do?
nitwit ping!
Guess that makes it alright in the minds of these numbskulls.
They could have done something truely horrible and made them put underwear on their heads. Instead they did the humane thing and shot them.
I can't say I blame them. They were probably justifiably worried about self incrimination. That and the fact that they are leftist ingrates.
Does being tortured and murdered contradict their
"Christian principles" to?
Waiting for the Fox family response....................
That's a keeper. Stole it!
How could I forget.
Skivies on the scalp. The most heinous torture of the 21st century.
Please pull my fingernails loose or feed me to the wood chipper but don't put skivies on my scalp.
These Christian Peacemakers are diagnosed by Dr. Sanity, under the heading "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished":
http://drsanity.blogspot.com/
And still, these Christian "activists" protect - which is aiding - the terrorists. Why is it that these people treat or side with the terrorists as if we were the ones in the wrong? Is their self-worth so low that they think deliberatley seeking out and being 'loving and kind' towards the devil while repudiating their rescuers somehow makes them something of worth?
Then if they don't learn how evil the Muslim/Terrorists are, we will at least be rid of them.
It's astounding that after four months with their captors, they can still think WE are the enemy! Amazing
works for me.
Why should the troops jeopardize their lives for these traitors. DON"T LET them IN.
Your observation pretty much nails it.
By refusing to give information that could lead to the rescue of the other hostages taken by these same people - who may die because of it........What "Christian" principle does that uphold?
If these other hostages do die - I hope these traitors will be able to see the indelible word "killer" on their forehead each day, for the rest of their days, when they look in the mirror.
Thanks for the ping.
PING!
Before you know it these sick people will be blaming the Americans for Fox's murder.
And how do these fools know Fox was not tortured.
I think these fools need to be sent a huge bill and shunned.
Loney needs one more o in his name. Looney
Ha ha!! You got caught stealing!!!
Thanks for the ping, GMMAC!
"The Christian Peacemaker Teams practises the kind of politics that automatically nominate them as dupes for jihadism and fascism," the embassy's statement said.
&&
Indeed!
If the friend or family member(lost)was a part of the rescue operation,i'd be pretty po'd.What would i do?Not much i could do,but i certainly question the wisdom or efficacy of rescuing people who for all intents and purposes are the enemy.
Ungrateful terrorist collaborators
The term Christian covers a wide umbrella. My guess is that most of this organization are new age using Christian as a front.
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
I hope this gets play but I know the MSM won't touch it.
Debrief? They won't even use the term "rescue". Their statements and website keep talking about their "release", as though the Islamoterrorists just let them go because they're nice folks, not because SAS troops put bullets in them.
....which is really fortunate. Otherwise a bunch of those mean military people might have had to come rescue them.
Its still not to late to recapture them ourselves and turn them over to the jihadis.
We should set them loose in Baghdad again, then... Til they learn how to use their Magic Words.
I think Fox was tortured, just knowing our raghead friends, and that it is being kept under wraps. To be released a year from now or so.
Guilty as charged, Sir...:)
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.
And how un-Christian, not to cooperate for debriefings that might help rescue other hostages?
Blunt, and correct.
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