Report One, Part 1: Introduction and Arrivals
FOR's Peacemaking Delegation to Iran: March 2007
Introduction by Ross MacDonald, Editor
We – 23 delegates on a two-week civilian diplomacy mission in Iran, coordinated by the Fellowship of Reconciliation – have much to share about our experiences thus far. In this first of three reports, we have searched for ways to adequately represent the rich complexity of our experiences during our four days in Tehran. Two subsequent reports will tell you of our experiences in Shiraz, Isfahan, Qom, and again back in Tehran. We have been told that since 9/11 only 300 Americans annually visit Iran, as compared to 60,000 annual German visitors. Please know that we are most grateful for your interest and for your ongoing support for these and other Fellowship of Reconciliation efforts.
We write you filled with hope for a secure future and deep concern about politicians’ razored words of confrontation, strung as they are into a barbed wire policy that ensnares our actions and divides our world. Meanwhile, the Iranian people bring wire cutters to our discussions. They offer us warm hospitality (“Please do come to my house”). School children, with bright, curious faces test their English (“Hello, hello. How are you?”) Injured and maimed veterans of the Iraqi war confront us with the logic of peace. Some of these veterans show us their paintings, scenes of Iranian mountains, seascapes, landscapes. One of them, a handless man, explains how he holds the brush. Other residents tell us that we are their brothers and sisters.
We embrace these messages even while believing our government bears some responsibility for the presence of those chemicals that filled their lungs, seared their eyes, and permanently scarred their families. We offer a formal apology. And now this day, as on others, the barbed policies of confrontation and ultimatum insult the people’s desires for a peaceful world.
As you will read in this report, we are sifting stories and impressions; those reported here and thousands of other images not yet catalogued in our minds assemble and reassemble within us, the 23 delegates. Each image is a bright tile still being painted, each tile one of an expanding collection each of us is trying to assemble into our own mosaic. I recall mosaics in mosques we have just seen here in Iran and then recollect my experience of tile mosaics in other religious sites: Christian churches, Roman ruins, and Egyptian remnants.
This report is our first attempt to assemble a collective mosaic from some of our individual ones. Here, several delegates offer a few panels from a multihued work in progress. While our experiences are rich and meaningful, we recognize as well that we cannot adequately represent Iranian culture, the thoughts and hopes of the people we meet, the confounding complexities of Middle East politics, or the swelling in our hearts as we embrace the warmth of the Iranians around us.
We have assembled four panels in our mosaic, one for each day. On these panels you will find a personal overview of the day as reported by one of our delegates; one or two vignettes or reflections from that day, each contributed by a different delegate; and, from our notes, messages from Iranians which we promised to share with people in the United States. Between the translations and the difficulties of transcriptions, the quotes may not be exact, but we did our best to ensure that they were guided by the truth of the sentiments. I personally remember the intense eyes looking into mine, a common language, and I feel bound to fulfill my promise to deliver these messages to the best of my ability. I am very confident the other delegates are similarly affected.
I feel us beginning to direct our frustration into a coordinated resolve to confront the shameful politics of threat and violence and my resolve hardens into its own motif.
Paul Kawika Martin: Impressions of the Flight
Our first taste of Iran started on the state-run Iran Air we flew from the United Kingdom. The old 747 gave us more legroom than the fancy Virgin Atlantic seats with personal screens and entertainment center we flew from New York City. By law, all women over the age of nine must wear the hijab – garments that only leave the hands and face uncovered. Iranian women do this in two ways. The chador covers the body like a black tent. The other, perhaps more fashionable, option includes a scarf, a manteau (similar to a trench coat), and pants. Of course, all the female flight attendants wore the proper covering. This, along with Iranian candy, food, and tea, would be the things I noticed compared to a U.S. flight.
Phyllis Davies: An Intimidating Entry (March 1)
Four of us flew into Iran on an Air France flight separate from the rest of the group arriving later on an Iran Air flight. It was a bit of an intimidating experience for me.
In the Paris boarding area, I happened to sit next to a young Iranian architect going home to be with his family for the spring holidays. He mentioned that he had heard that six U.S. citizens were turned back at the passport checkpoint in Iran earlier in the day. He so hoped we would be allowed to visit his beloved country. [Ed.: This story has not been independently confirmed.] The people in the plane were friendly. They told us it was most unusual for “Amerécans” to be going to Iran at such a dangerous time. They agreed that if governments can’t get along maybe regular people then maybe it is even more important to get to know each other.
As we landed, it was announced that by law in the Islamic Republic of Iran, ALL women MUST wear scarves at all times!
We watched the sun set over the snow capped Alborz Mountains as we descended toward Tehran. It was dark as we deplaned into a bus in a soft drizzle with patches of the latest snow still on the tarmac. As is so often the case in many countries, there was a noticeable military presence.
We entered a large high ceiling light green room. Small glass-box-topped stalls with unsmiling uniformed men slowly processing the long lines of passengers were at the far end of the hall. We were at the end of the line. Checking our passports was not a quick process for the four of us. We were on a separate flight from the main part of group that came in a few hours later.
After looking at my passport, my rather unfriendly young inspector left his stall and told me to wait. When he returned, he ushered me along with the four others toward a separate room. A large desk was in one corner and three worn sofas were placed to provide a view of a TV tuned to the inevitable soccer game. An official in plain clothes asked for our passports and then left the room. He was gone for about half an hour.
We had seen the FOR sign held at the top of the escalator by a man who waved. Our leader later got permission to come down to the room where we met him. He explained they were likely making copies of our passports, as they rarely have U.S. visitors. When the man finally returned with our passports, he returned them to us. To our relief, he explained that the first machine he tried was broken. He now had the copies he needed and we were free to go and pick up our luggage.
It was after midnight when we arrived at our comfortable hotel, where they fed us some soup and cucumber salad.
It was wonderful to see the rest of the group the next morning at breakfast.
Shirley McRae: Tehran Arrival (March 2)
Eighteen of the 23 members of the third FOR Iran delegation arrived at Mehrabad airport Tehran at 1:30 a.m., March 3rd, and immediately experienced the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran. As we stood at Customs controls, we gradually realized that the delegation might well be denied entry into the country, although our visas were all in order.
Just days before, all nine members of an Iranian delegation to the United Nations’ 51st Annual Conference on the Status of Women in New York (Feb. 26-March 9) were refused visas by the U.S. State Department. This delegation of women comprised three journalists, three researchers, and three representatives from the Foreign Ministry. Iran’s representative to the United Nations delivered the paper, which they had prepared to give on the rights and safety of the girl child.
In addition to this development, members of the delegation were informed that only the day before six Americans with valid visas had been denied entry into Iran and had to return to the United States.
After a long negotiation with customs by the delegation’s able leader, Leila Zand, some goodwill and trust was created and retaliation was avoided. The FOR civilian diplomats walked out of the airport at 3 a.m. into a dark and rainy predawn morning in Tehran.
Go to Part 2 of the First Report
