Harmeet Singh Sooden

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Harmeet Singh Sooden (born March 24, 1973) is a Canadian and New Zealand citizen who volunteered for Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. From November 26, 2005, he was held captive in Iraq with three others and threatened with execution until being freed by multinational forces in an operation on March 23, 2006.[1]

Sooden was born and raised in Zambia. He was born into a Sikh family. His mother Manjeet Kaur Sooden and father Dalip Singh Sooden are from Kashmir, presently living and working in Zambia since 1969.[2] He has one sister, Harpreet (Preety) Sooden Brewer, who lives with her family in New Zealand.

Harmeet also has an uncle Ominder Singh who has been living in Canada with his family and presently resides and works in Thompson, Manitoba.

He travelled to Iraq as a volunteer for Christian Peacemaker Teams . Some consider me a Sikh, some an atheist; others prefer to think of me as possessing secular values."

Sooden holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.[3] Soon afterwards he obtained Canadian citizenship in April 2003 he moved to join his family in Auckland, New Zealand. He also completed post-graduate study in English literature at University of Auckland. He is a member of the University of Auckland chapter of the Students for Justice in Palestine.

On 23 July 2006, Harmeet did an extensive interview with journalist Sahar Ghumkhor in which he discussed his reflections on his visits in Iraq before the kidnapping, his captivity, his release and the response of the media.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "British Iraq hostage Kember freed". BBC News. 2006-03-23. Retrieved 2006-03-23. 
  2. ↑ 'Harmeet the Peacemaker', letter by Donna Mulhearn
  3. ↑ Profile: Harmeet Singh Sooden, Fox News, November 29, 2005
  4. ↑ Ghumkhor, Sahar Harmeet Sooden Interviewed By Sahar Ghumkhor 23 July, 2006

External links

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