Listen to an interview with Ehab Lotayef, who traveled to Baghdad in early December, as an envoy of the Canadian Islamic Congress, in an effort to facilitate the release of Christian Peacemaker Teams [CPT] activists who have been held hostage in Iraq since late November. Until today the fate of the CPT activists remains unknown, as calls for the release of the four anti-occupation activists, James Loney, Harmeet Sooden, Tom Fox and Norman Kember have been echoed throughout the world.
In Iraq, Lotayef's trip focused largely on addressing major media outlets in the Middle East from Baghdad, on the principled nature of the CPT's work as an organization committed to social justice struggles internationally, from Iraq, to Palestine. In this interview Lotayef, a community activist based in Montreal, offers his perspectives on the work of the CPT within the context of social movements throughout the world calling for an end to occupation of Iraq.
In Baghdad, the CPT has maintained a presence since October 2002, when the organization established a presence prior to the U.S. lead military invasion and subsequent occupation. In Iraq, the CPT attempts to expose abusive acts by the U.S. Armed Forces and support Iraqis struggle against military occupation.
In this interview Lotayef also discusses the strong ties which the CPT has developed with the Arab / Muslim community in Canada, through participating in the struggle for the abolition of 'Security Certificates', which allow the government of Canada to indefinitely detain and deport non-citizens without a public presentation of evidence. Currently in Canada five Muslim men are being held under 'Security Certificates', which the CPT has openly campaigned against in coordination with Muslim communities in the country.
----> For more information and to learn on ways to support the four hostages in Iraq, visit the website of the Christian Peacemaker Teams at: http://www.cpt.org
----> For more information and detailed analysis on the ongoing occupation of Iraq visit the Electronic Iraq media project at: http://www.electroniciraq.net
[This interview was conducted and produced for CKUT Radio in Montreal and Electronic Iraq by independent journalist and media activist Stefan Christoff. For more information you can contact Stefan at: christoff[at]resist.ca]
Electronic Iraq: Ehab Lotayef of the Canadian Islamic Congress on CPT Hostages
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