Report One: An Early Start to Peace-Making
FOR's Friendship Delegation to Iran: May 2006
Our chance to connect with Iranian citizens began in Paris, while we waited for the connecting flight to Teheran. Most of the passengers waiting for the flight were Iranian citizens and many gave a second look at the assembly of travelers wearing buttons that read “Peace Advocate” in Farsi, the language of Iran.
It wasn’t long before a woman inquired about our trip, and asked if she could have a button too. Once we boarded, an Iranian man named Hassan introduced himself. He asked about the purpose of the delegation.
Hassan eagerly signed our book of messages of peace from Iranians and proudly placed one of our peace buttons on his chest. He thanked us for coming to his country saying it was a wonderful gesture of peace.
We arrived in Teheran on the evening of Tuesday, May 9, 2006, and went directly to our hotel for the night.
Our first meeting the next morning was at the Department of Human Rights at Shahid Beheshti University. This meeting began with brief statement by Richard Deats, co-leader of our delegation, about FOR’s background and the purpose of the delegation, and by a round of individual introductions.Then came a welcoming address by the chair of the department, Dr. Ardeshir Amir-Arjomand. His opening words were the traditional Islamic beginning of an address, “In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful”. He continued with an account of the history, purpose, organization and methods of their department.
Associated Press
FOR delegate Steve Fryburg shows some of the letters of friendship written by American children to children in Iran. Richard Deats, co-leader of the Iran delegation, is at the right.
In general, it appeared that the approach of this department to human rights reflects a balanced mix of aspirations, offset by an understanding of practical difficulties; a combination of hope and pragmatism, and an intense awareness of a world-wide need for sustained attention to improve human rights.
All present felt that there is a continuing need for discussion and action on human rights. But by reason of cultural background, it was also apparent that the two groups – the Iranians and their American visitors – would put different emphasis on various human rights issues, such as the death penalty vs. health insurance.
The programs of this department include conference and workshops, as well as regular academic study. The speakers expressed a desire to make a contribution to the promotion of human rights from the Iranian experience and culture, and based on the Islamic focus on peace. A spirited question and answer session followed, full of good will and good humor. There were 10 or 12 faculty present, about equally divided between men and women.
Where daily life IS culture
The next visit this morning was at the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization News Agency, which was founded in July 2004 by combining the Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization with the Iranian Journeying and Tourism Organization. Our hosts were eight young women reporters and translators. Their work includes gathering news from Tourist Agents, Internet sources, and other news sources and to translate the material and make it available via the Internet to newspapers and tourism agencies in Iran.
Delegates at the center for Chemical weapons victims listen to presentations. Some of the victims are sitting at the back.
The reporters asked us a number of questions, some of which concerned our impressions of Iran and these were difficult to answer since we had just arrived the evening before. We were asked why we chose to come to Iran, and we answered that Iran has a distinguished history and culture, and this is mostly unknown to Americans.
The reporters told us that there is little distinction to Iranians between culture and “daily life”. We replied that Americans, who have a relatively short history as Americans, also have some connection to their ethnic heritage.
Lily Yeh showed them her work in grass-roots community building through art projects which are inspired by Islamic art.
Meeting the victims of war and chemical attack
Our final meeting today was at a rehabilitation center run by the Society for Chemical Weapons Victims’ Support. We were welcomed by Dr. Shahriar Khateri, the medical director of the center, and Mohammad Reza Soroush, the head of the nongovernmental organization (www.scwvs.org).
Over 90,000 Iranians lost their lives during the eight-year war between Iraq and Iran (1980-1988) as a result of chemical warfare. And many more Iranian soldiers and civilians sustained life-long medical injuries.
We listened to the personal experience of one veteran who, at the age of 15, had volunteered for the military. An exploding landmine resulted in the loss of both his arms and made him blind. Another war veteran suffering from the effects of poison gas has impaired breathing, vision and a chronic, unrelenting skin rash. He said that Iranians and Americans are not enemies, and he expressed hope that the people of the United States can co-operate to build a peaceful future.
We heard of the experience of another victim, exposed to chemical weapons when he was 21. He suffered injury to his lungs, stomach and skin, and has undergone many treatments and surgery in the past 20 years.He must use oxygen constantly in order to survive. One of his brothers was killed in the war and another is also a veteran with similar problems to his.
We also heard the story of a Kurdish father and his daughter, who live in a remote village in Northwest Iran. Two of the sons in this family were killed during the war, and the mother and another daughter died in the chemical attack.
The daughter we met was six months old when the attack occurred, and she has lost 70% of her lung capacity. She suffers from skin, heart, and lung problems and pain. She is now 19, and is losing the sight in one eye. She can no longer study because of her medical condition. She wishes for her health and to be able to return to school, and she also hopes that such weapons will never be used ever again.
Finally, Mazjar Teherani, the author of a book called Way of Peace, placed his hand on his heart and said that he wished to send life energy to all the wounded and all who suffer.
Members of our group made concluding remarks of support and heart-felt compassion.
– From the FOR Iran delegation
