Tom Fox (Quaker) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tom Fox
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Tom Fox with some children
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| Born |
Thomas William Fox
July 7, 1951 |
| Died | March 9, 2006 (aged 54) Baghdad, Iraq
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| Occupation | Peace activist |
| Children | Katherine |
Thomas William Fox (born July 7, 1951 – died March 9, 2006) was an American Quaker peace activist. He worked with a group called Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) in Iraq. CPT is a group that tries to reduce violence and promote peace in conflict areas.
In November 2005, Tom Fox was taken by force in Baghdad along with three other CPT members. This event became known as the 2005–2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis. Sadly, his body was found a few months later in March 2006.
Tom Fox's Life and Work
Tom Fox grew up in Clear Brook, Virginia. He went to Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. He was also part of a music club there.
Tom loved working with young people. He led youth programs for the Friends Meeting in McLean, Virginia. He spent a lot of time helping teenagers and young adults in the Quaker community. He was like a friendly adult guide for many young people.
He also served for 20 years in the United States Marine Band. This means he was a musician in the Marines! He was very good at playing the clarinet and the recorder. His daughter, Katherine, once shared that he would not accept military discounts. This showed his strong beliefs about peace.
The Hostage Situation in Iraq
On November 26, 2005, Tom Fox and three other CPT members were taken by force in Iraq. The people who took them demanded that the United States release all Iraqi prisoners. They set a deadline for December 8, 2005, which was later moved to December 10.
On December 10, Tom's daughter, Katherine, spoke out. She said that she and her father understood why some Iraqi people were concerned about the United States' presence in Iraq. However, she added that harming her father would not solve these problems.
On March 7, 2006, a news channel called Al Jazeera showed a video. It showed the other three hostages, but Tom Fox was not in it.
The Discovery of Tom Fox
On March 10, 2006, the U.S. State Department announced sad news. Tom Fox's body had been found in Baghdad. He had been shot.
Later, on March 23, 2006, the other three hostages were set free by international forces. It is believed that a leader from a group called Al-Qaeda in Iraq was responsible for Tom Fox's death. This leader was later killed in 2007.
See also
- Harmeet Singh Sooden
- Norman Kember
- James Loney
- List of kidnappings
- List of peace activists
