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Greensboro, N.C.
Volume 92, Issue 20
www.guilfordian.com
March 24, 2006
Christian Peacemaker Tom Fox remembered
Fellow activists freed Thursday morning
Tori Moffitt
Senior Writer
Tom Fox, a peace activist and member of
the Quistian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), was
foimd March 10 near a railway line in
Dawoudi, a mixed Siumi-Shiite area in Iraq.
He had been killed by the terrorist group
"The Swords of Righteousness Brigade,"
being held captive since Nov. 26,2005.
Three other members were taken
hostage with Fox, and the terrorists said
that the remaining activists would be exe
cuted if Iraqi prisoners were not released
from U.S. and Iraqi prisons.
After hearing of Fox's abduction, his
daughter, Guilford alumna Katherine Fox,
said on ABCs Nightline that she wanted to
remind the terrorists that her father
opposed the U.S. occupation of Iraq and
had campaigned against it. She went on to
say, "the work that he is there to do is the
same work that they would Uke to see
done."
Before Fox went to Iraq he signed a CPT
"statement of conviction." It said, "We,
members of CPT in Iraq, are aware of the
many risks both Iraqis and Internationals
currently face. However, we are convinced
at this time that the risks, while signi
ficant, do not outweigh our purpose
in remaining.
Max Carter, Campus Ministry
Coordinator, was acquainted with Fox
through Guilford and the National Quaker
Youth Conference.
"People are certainly confused or unset
tled by the reality of so gentle and loving a
person as Tom not apparently being able to
'answer that of God' in his captors,"
Carter said.
Carter spoke about the panel discussion
held on March 15 in Founders hall to
address any questions students had about
Fox's death. He said that "the atmosphere
was one of hushed listening and taking in
different perspectives as means of helping
address each person's internal questions."
While in Iraq, Fox protested for the Iraqi
people and attempted to bring them peace
and justice.
He had also demonstrated in the West
Bank town of Jayyus against Israel's con
struction of a separation barrier with the
Palestinians.
"Tom used to sit in front of the (Israeli)
bulldozers to block them," said Mayor
Shawka Shamha in the Washington Post.
"Hearing news that he was killed makes me
very sad."
Fox worked with the families of Iraqi
prisoners and was usually the only link
between them and their incarcerated loved
ones. His US ties allowed him to escort
shipments of medicine to clinics and hospi
tals, and he was able to form the Islamic
Peacemaker Team.
While in Iraq, Fox posted to a blog on
Electronic Iraq entitled "Waiting in the
Light" where he was able to reflect on his
experiences. In some of these excerpts,
which can be found on the CPT Web site, he
speaks about his personal struggles with
"doing good work and staying sane in the
face of suffering." He also speaks about the
kidnapping and murder of fellow aid work
er Margaret Hassan in October 2004.
After Hassan's death. Fox's team in
Tom Fox‘s body was discovered nearly four months after his abduction Continued on page 2
Guilford students protest third anniversary of Iraq war
2oshCohen_
Staff Writer
On March 19, a group of
Guilford students organized by
senior Kyle Brebner took a trip to
Fayetteville, NC to take part in
the annual anti-war rally spon
sored by the NC Peace and
Justice Coahtion. Will Johnson,
senior and president of the
Amnesty International Club, was
one of those students. In the fol
lowing interview he talks about
his experience at the protest,
dealing with coimter-demonstra-
tors, and his hopes for the
protest's future.
What was this event about?
This was a march and rally to
mark the third anniversary of the
U.S. war in Iraq.
Who attended?
Seven Guilford students and a
number of Guilford Alumni were
there. As far as speakers go, there
was a woman from Iraq, a former
CIA analyst; several military fam
ilies and parents spoke out
against the war. Chuck Fager,
who runs the Quaker House in
Fayetteville, a group that pro
vides information to military peo
ple who want to get out of the
military for moral and ethical rea
sons, spoke about Tom Fox.
I heard there was an anti-
anti-war protest going on at the
same time. What was that about?
I've been to this event three
years now. Every year there is a
counter-demonstration. It's run
by a group called "The New
Republicans." It's mostly people
that support the war and George
Bush's policies. I believe that the
anti-war protesters are very sup
portive of the troops. The anti-
anti-war protesters do not seem
to get this. They think that
because we're against the war
we're undermining the troops
that are fighting.
Is it true that they were
yelling profanity and racial
slurs?
I didn't hear anything like
that. The only thing I saw was
that while our speakers spoke,
the counter-demonstrators tried
to drown them out with loud
speakers. This was particularly
obvious during the Iraqi woman's
speech - the counter demonstra
tors were very loud. Other than
that I just tried to ignore the
counter-demonstrators. I wasn't
trying to rile them up and I didn't
let them get me riled up.
Were there any altercations
with the police?
There was a very significant
police presence at the rally. There
were checkpoints at the end of
the march. These checkpoints
were at designated entrances to
the park where the rally was
being held. People's bags were
searched through before they
were allowed into the rally. Some
people were upset with the heavy
pohce presence and the searches,
but it didn't pose much of a prob
lem.
Was the protest successful?
I feel Uke it was successful in
various ways. We know that the
rally isn't going to have an imme
diate impact on our government's
policies, but it had other positive
affects. The protest serves as a
good place for networking. It
brings together important groups
from different communities.
Overall the protest is an impor
tant reminder that we have not
forgotten that the war is going
on.
Is there anything you'd like
to see change at future rallies?
I feel like overall it has been a
very positive experience. The
organizers do a good job bringing
in a diverse group of speakers;
they are of mixed backgrounds,
genders and races so there are
many perspectives available. One
improvement this year was that
the organizers had people sit at
the rally according to their geo
graphic locale. We sat with other
people from the Triad region,
which helped me meet other
activists from the area.
Are there any more upcoming
events?
First, I'd like to thank Kyle
Brebner for organizing the trip
down to Fayetteville. The
Amnesty International club is
organizing the "Student Week of
Action," which will happen from
April 3-10. April 10 is the main
event. Scott Langley, who works
for Amnesty International North
Carolina, will present a photo
documentary on the death penal
ty-
The NC Peace and Justice
Coahtion is holding its founding
convention about a month from
now at New Garden Friends
Meeting house. More information
is available at www.ncpeacejus-
tice.org. ^