Peace Movement Aotearoa   |   Support for Peacemakers

Messages of support and hope from Aotearoa
New Zealand for the abducted Peacemakers

If you wish to send a message of support and hope for the four Peacemakers, please email to Peace Movement Aotearoa and include your name, and town / city with your message. Messages are being added to this page with the most recent at the top.


  • Dear Harmeet, the news of your release, with 2 fellow hostages, is a great joy and relief. I had just been praying for you when I heard the news. I send very best wishes to you. We will be embracing you in spirit as your family members embrace you physically. My best wishes as well to your brother -in-law Mark Brewer and other family members who spoke always with great dignity and warmth when interviewed on the media here. Denise de Groot, North Shore, Auckland


  • I am quite relieved and am crying happy tears to hear the news that you are safe. I would like to let you know that we love you just as much as a family member would, and that God loves you more than ever, and with your heart caring intentions as Christian Peacemakers, I prayed to God for your release, and I am so pleased that he responded for you. Mark


  • When this started on November 26th 2005 my wife and I sat and prayed. Today we pray for Tom Fox, with sorrow and sadness, and hold him deep in our hearts, (although we did not know him or even meet him), this tragedy is devastating and we send our deepest condolences to his family and those who have survived him. We have also made a special prayer (and will continue our prayers), of thanks to 'Christ our Lord' for saving James Loney & Harmeet Sooden, and Norman Kember. We also pray for the soldiers who assisted in the release of these men, and all other soldiers, Canadian , American and Britons who are currently serving abroad. This news this morning reaffirms our faith in God, and strengthens our faith even further, to know that Christ is continually answering our prayers. Thank you Lord! Please let the all the families know we rejoice in the safe return of all the hostages, and especially to the Canadian's, James (Jim) Loney and Harmeet Sooden, and their families. Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." With the thoughts of all of Gods Love and our Prayers, Doug and Anne W


  • Peacemakers released, Christian Peacemakers Teams


  • Please release these people Harmeet Sooden, James Loney, Norman Kember and any other hostages, these people are not your enemies for they came to your county with a peaceful purpose ... the war in Iraq belongs to only a few ... not the civilans ... the women, children and men that every day face the invasion of their country ... so Harmeet, James, Norman and any others that are with you ... you are not alone or fogotten ... keep hope close to you ... that you will be with your families soon. Serena Koziarski and Kieran Stoop, Christchurch


  • Prayers for Peacemakers: Pray for the family and friends of CPTer Tom Fox whose body was found in Baghdad on Mar. 9. Pray for Harmeet, Norman and Jim kidnapped with him and still missing. Pray for their captors. Pray for Iraq. Doug Pritchard, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Toronto, Canada


  • We Mourn the Loss of Tom Fox, Christian Peacemakers Teams


  • Harmeet, we encourage you to hold to your faith that creative non-violent action that offers friendship can still prove powerful for peace and justice. Troubled areas such as Iraq are greatly in need of a witness such as yours to reinforce hope and bring healing. Rosemary and Arthur Palmer, Auckland


  • Last week we heard from Christina Gibb, the only CPTer in Aotearoa/New Zealand about the work of the CPT and we had some minutes of silence as we held you in our prayers and in the Light. May you be given the strength to keep turning to this Light for strength and hope and may your captors see that you are working for them and not against them. In love and friendship, Heather Denny, Bay of Plenty - Auckland Friends Monthly Meeting


  • Prayers for Peacemakers: Sunday, March 5, marks the 100th day since Tom Fox, Norman Kember, Jim Loney, and Harmeet Sooden were kidnapped in Baghdad. Pray for their safe release and restoration to their families. Pray for the 14,600 Iraqis illegally detained by the Occupation forces. Doug Pritchard, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Toronto, Canada


  • To the hostages, we are thinking of you and pray for some sense in this horrible situation. We are thinking of you, and look forward to your release. Susan and Craig Blair, Te Kauwhata, North Waikato


  • Prayers for Peacemakers: Give thanks for the outpouring of support from around the world for detainees in Iraq - for the kidnapped Christian Peacemaker Teams people, and for the thousands of Iraqis illegally held without charge or respect for their human rights. Doug Pritchard, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Toronto, Canada


  • Dear Harmeet, over 2 months have passed now. A new ultimatum several days ago and again no news and the wait. I thank life daily for the gift of meeting you. You are often in my thoughts and always in my heart. I pray everyday for you, your 3 companions, your families and loved ones. I hope you find a measure of serenity wherever you are and that you will soon be free and safe again. With love, Claire, Auckland


  • All our prayers go out to you and are given hope by the recent video release. God bless. Yvette Bellaire, Toronto, Canada


  • My dear Harmeet, My heart tells me you will be safe and will come back to work for Peace and Love in this tired world. I heard about you from one of your distant relative when I was in Delhi and she told me that whenever she reads about you, I and my brother (we are working for the children who have been orphaned due to the ongoing violence in Kashmir) come to her mind. When I went through the various links on the net, I realized what she meant. You and I are connected on a very different plane and it is very selfless and divine. When you come back I would want to be in touch with you and tell you what it means ... You will be safe and will soon come back ... my heart knows it ... Peace and Love, Bharati Mamani, Pune, India


  • Hi Harmeet, Two months have now passed - you are still in my thoughts. I look forward to your safe release and return. Nigel Fannin


  • Dear Harmeet, we keep your photo on the wall in our kitchen to remind us of your situation in Iraq. We admire and respect the courage you and your fellow detainees have shown, and hope that the value of your work has become obvious to your captors. May you all come home safely soon. Lynsey Ferrari and family, Wellington


  • We add our good wishes and hope that the four CPT Peacemakers will be released soon. They deserve the support and respect of all. Anne and Robert Stowell


  • Harmeet, you are in my thoughts and prayers often. May God be of great comfort and strength to you at this time. My heart goes out to your family and close friends of all those who know you personally. Often we do not understand why some things happen – I pray that something good will come out of everything you and your family are going through right now. God bless and protect you Harmeet. Sandra O’Brien, Christchurch


  • I wish to lend my strongest possible support for the immediate release of Harmeet Sooden and the three other CPT hostages. Harmeet is a highly-principled person whose courageous actions in supporting the oppressed in Palestine and Iraq make it absolutely clear he could not possibly be a spy as alleged by his captors. By now the international calls for Harmeet's release range from thousands of peace activists in many countries to Iraqis imprisoned in British jails, Palestinian people who he has assisted and public figures such as the Grand Mufti of Palestine. Harmeet is one of the few who not only demonstrates for justice in his country of residence, but lives out his beliefs by brave and supportive action on the ground in countries such as Palestine and Iraq. Elizabeth Eastmond, Auckland


  • I spent the war days (March-April 2003) in Baghdad with the 2 groups Iraq Peace Team and CPT. All my love and respect to the group, the CPT, which stands for peace and reconciliation. Under the occupation, I may say, the CPT were the only Westerners there in Iraq who did a job which Iraqis could not do (the only foreigners to really work on prisoners, with Iraqi groups), and the only Westerners who did not live like privileged there.

    They deserve the great respect. I copy here an article-witness I wrote on the Italian daily "il manifesto" about them, it was published on December 8th. Marinella Correggia, Italy


  • I met Harmeet at the beginning of the year at university. Since then he has become a close friend of mine. He is a very kind and well mannered person. His intentions for his work in Iraq are pure, peaceful and from the heart. There is no justice in a world where someone like Harmeet is punished for doing good! See you soon buddy! Simon, Auckland


  • Hi Harmeet, we played squash every Sunday and I look forward to your safe return. As you know I am in the US now but will be back in April and look forward to our continued battles on the court. Your friend Nigel


  • I wish to add my voice to the global plea to release the four peace activists still held captive in Iraq. These good men are friends of Iraq and opposed to the brutal treatment of detainees by US/UK invaders. May the light of compassion and humanity prevail and may they be released immediately to be with their families. Stephanie McKee


  • Tena koe, greetings, violence perpetuated is never an answer to peace. Direct your anger at the machinations of war rather than the 4 peacemakers. This does not need to happen. Please release these men, na Maraea Rakuraku


  • To Harmeet's family, our thoughts are with you at this very difficult time. We would like to express our solidarity and support as we acknowledge Harmeet’s great commitment to peace and to the Palestinian people. Kindest regards, Wellington Palestine Group


  • I was Harmeet Sooden's headmaster in England. I have just learned that he has been kidnapped and I send a message to the kidnappers.

    This exceptional young man is motivated by the highest principles, seeks only peace and reconciliation where there is division; and he works for harmony and justice in the world. He should be released and indeed he should be thanked for the work he does. His work and that of his colleagues brings even more support around the world for the ending of the war in Iraq. To murder him would be anti-Islam and can only lead to a worsening of an already extremely regrettable situation.

    I marched against the war in Iraq. I believed it was wrong and I still do. I humbly invite you to pray to your God and ask if he seeks the death of Harmeet and his three colleagues. May He guide you to do what is merciful and just. David Christie, Oxford


  • My thoughts are with all four of the abducted Peacemakers. They are working for the Iraqi people for a just, safe, and peaceful Iraq, and my hopes are with them. Alia Levine, Wellington


  • Please add my name and my daughter’s name to those who seek the release of Harmet Sooden and his colleagues, kidnapped and threatened with execution in Iraq. We send them a message of hope and faith, particularly in themselves, that they are strong, passionate workers for peace, who have the thoughts and prayers of concerned people throughout the world supporting them. With love, Marilyn and Hana, Wellington


  • My thoughts are with the four Peacemakers and also with their captors and my hope is that the captors will recognise that these Peacemakers were in Iraq to work with the people. Joan Macdonald, Auckland


  • Still holding out hope for Harmeet. Alice


  • The St Anne's Newtown Social Justice Group calls on the captors of peacemakers Harmeet Sooden, James Loney, Norman Kember and Tom Fox to release them. They are innocent and working, as we all are, for a peaceful Iraq. You are all on the same side. Harmeet and others want the release of political prisoners in Iraq also. These courageous peacemakers will be able to do more for your cause in freedom than in death. Please release them. Cecily McNeill on behalf of St Anne's Social Justice Group, Wellington


  • This is a short message of support for Harmeet Sooden and his family. I hope that the extension of the deadline is a good sign. Shortly before the war I went to Baghdad with a peace group called Voices in the Wilderness and am very aware of the terrible dangers there. My thoughts and prayers are with you. John Gleisner, Masterton


  • We are thinking of the four Peacemakers, their families and friends, and their captors. We are hopeful that the captors will heed the pleas of all those supporters of Iraq who have asked for the release of their captives. Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Aotearoa / New Zealand Section


  • What sense to abuse, kill those who carry the hope of peace? Ron Riddell, Upper Hutt


  • Please can it be recognised that these four men came in love and hope for a new Iraq. May their captors find the courage to let them go; this will be their big gift to their country and friends of Iraq around the world, such an important step towards better times. R A Brockway, Wellington


  • We certainly add our voices to those calling for the release of the hostages - they are very much in our thoughts and prayers. We are aware through our friend Christina Gibb of what the Christian Peacemakers Teams do and what they stand for. In love and peace, Phoebe and Philip Macdiarmid, Thames


  • It serves no-ones interests keeping Harmeet Sooden, James Loney, Norman Kember and Tom Fox in incarceration. These people were in Iraq and Palestine to bear witness to the racist machinations of occupation in Iraq. They are champions of non-violent resistance. They are not naive. They are just braver than the rest of us. If there is any sense in the world these people will be released. Damian Clarke, Auckland


  • Harmeet Sooden, Norman Kember, James Loney and Tom Fox are men working for peace and aiding the self-determination of the Iraqi people. I hope that they will be let free, unharmed and my thoughts are with them and their families. I hope that the Iraqi resistance will stop targeting their friends and comrades who aid them on their path to freedom beneath the blades of American helicopters.

    I stand with my friend Harmeet, a courageous man of peace and justice, and his fellow peace workers in calling for the release of all 12,000 Iraqi prisoners and for all foreign troops to leave Iraq. A fellow International Solidarity Movement Volunteer said of the situation, "I look forward to the day when we will be equally outraged by the oppression of our brothers and sisters that may not look, live, or pray like the west. May we someday be able to identify with any human being that is suffering, and work to aid them with the same passion as we do our fellow white westerners." Keep praying, keep hoping and keep fighting for a better world. Omar Hamed, Auckland


  • I wish to add my support to the calls for the release of Peacemakers Harmeet Sooden, James Loney, Norman Kember, and Tom Fox, who were abducted in Baghdad on 26 November 2005. My thoughts are with them, and I hope they will soon be free to once again see their friends and families, and to continue their important work for peace and justice. Ewan Morris, Wellington


  • I will be with you in spirit as you keep vigil tonight for the 4 hostages in Iraq. It is heart-warming to know that there's a group in our capital representing our country, taking this stand against the dark powers which would enslave us all. I will be with you in prayer this evening, may you be upheld by the God of Peace, shalom. Noeline Boag, Christchurch


  • I pray for them and hope that they will be released today! Peace be upon them. Adam Awad, Wellington


  • We are praying for the release of Harmeet Sooden, James Loney, Norman Kember and Tom Fox. Please be assured that you are supported by all those who love peace. Sister Anne Phibbs, Porirua


  • To Harmeet Sooden, James Loney, Norman Kember, and Tom Fox, may God richly bless you - you are an inspiration to all of us. I pray for your release and for your personal peace. Heather Thomas, Palmerston North


  • I send support and hope for peaceful resolution of the current situation, and for those responsible to be able to comprehend the views of others around the world who seek non-violent solutions to difficulties, and to accept the differences of opinion and belief. Marjorie Smart, Christchurch


  • As an activist in Wellington, NZ, I would like to express my support for the work that has been done by Harmeet and his fellow peace activists. May mercy grant peace and life to all of you, whichever faith is espoused, regardless of ethnicity or nationality; may your captors realise that this violence is unnecessary, and unworthy of their consideration. Ashanti, Harmeet. Kerry Tankard, Wellington


  • Many thanks for giving me the opportunity to express my concerns. Dolores Flynn-Edge


  • I send my sincere hopes that these people will not be executed. Claire Szabó, Wellington


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