Vigils mark 100th for Christian peace hostages in Iraq
People of faith from around the country gathered on Sunday, 5 March, to mark the 100th day since Norman Kember, James Loney, Tom Fox and Harmeet Singh Sooden were taken hostage in Iraq. At a vigil in Trafalgar Square, London, at which more than one hundred people participated, prayers were led by Rev Nagase a Buddhist monk from the London Peace Pagoda, from Dr Daud Abdullah of the Muslim Council of Britain and Revd John Johansenberg, Chair of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. A message from Pat Kember, wife of Norman Kember, thanking people for their support and encouragement, was also read. The London vigil was intended to be a sign of hope that the Christian Peacemakers would soon be released. 100 paper doves were held high during a time of silence as a symbol of that hope. Other vigils were held in Oxford, Cambridge, Peterborough, Derby and Nottingham and on Saturday Baptist Churches around the country also held a chain of vigils for the men. Vigils will continue in Trafalgar Square each Wednesday between 6pm and 7pm.