Dec.3

Dec.4

Shiraz

We are still in Teheran and will fly to Shiraz tonight. The food is GREAT!!! We forget that the NYC diet includes food concepts taken from all over the world. The breads are fine... lots of fresh vegetables and shish-kabobs of chicken, beef and lamb are Irani... and the rice is great... and the desserts too!!! We went to a prehistoric (pre-Islamic) museum this morning. It is amazing the amount of what we call Western customs were in place here long before even the Macedonian and Greek eras. We saw beautiful ceramics from 8000 B.C. and were able to see how written language evolved... I didn't realize the the Persian Empire had such a great influence on concepts that I always thought were Egyptian, BUT, also how Persian art and culture was effected by countries they ruled. Our next stop was the Post-Islam and the art and spiritual culture that is part of Islam. Most Irani people are Shi'a but there are a few other similar Islamic groups. There are also several other religious minorities such as Jewish enclaves-Iraninans, Zoarasterians and Armenian Orthodox Christians.I am just beginning to learn about a part of the world that U.S. schools pretty much ignore, despite being the foundation of World Civilization. (reminds me that our history texts give a page to the Vietnam War and less to the Korean Conflict.

Dec.5

Isfahan

We woke up to eggs, meat and bread with tons of choices of vegetables... plus I brought my own coffee (Starbucks Columbian). The 1st stop of the day was incredible... Parse or Persopolis (Greek name)... a seasonal home from Darius the Great from the line of Cyrus the great. The Persian Empire stretched from India, north to the Danube, over to the Greek islands and down through Egypt to Ethiopia... can you see it... 28 nations. All of these nations were allowed their own customs and sovereignty LESS taxes and an occasional request for troops. As the Parse created their palaces etc., they used to skills and artistry from al 28 nations . The palace we saw today... I can't describe. I will download photos later. This empire ruled until defeated by Alexander the Great (too bad the movie wasn't). Next we went to the mausoleum of Saad'i and the mausoleum of Hafez, both in Shiraz. At the tomb of Saad'i and the tomb of Hafez,as the sun was going down,we were besieged by young people and families with young children wanting to converse with us. The beautiful gardens surrounding the tombs of the poets are where young people go to meet and smile at each other. It is appropriate since these poets wrote about love, true love. We were not just a curiosity or a person with which to practice English with , every other teenagerknew a family member in the U.S.. Over 6 million Iranians live in the U.S.

We ended the sightseeing at the E'mamzedeh-ye Mosque and the the tomb of elder brother of the 8th Imam of Shi'a (Ali Al-Rida), Ali Ebn-e' Hamze'. We were allowed (with unusal special permission) to go into the mosque. It was an immense room of light under a Persian style dome (not to be confused with the Romans who borrowed more than a few architectual concepts). There was, what I perceived to be, millions of tiny mirrors in a room covered completely with a mosaic of mirrors. The light and the presence of the holy man, an important brother of the 8th Imam of Shi'a. We all were in awe and felt as if we were experiencing somehting we should't see... intruders. See you tomorrow... hope to upload this in 3 days... In Peace, Jim

Dec.6-7

Isfehan

This was the day we had been waiting for, the day we finally spent most of
our time in conversation with Iranians. Our first destination was the
Armenian church complex in Esfehan, then the Zoroastrian Fire Temple,
lunch with an Esfehani family and finally, three hours on our own in the
Grand Pavilion Bazaar. Some of us ended the day in a tea house on the
famous 33-Bridge, among a bustling night crowd.

At 9 a.m., we entered a beautiful walled garden with cement block
courtyard, interspersed with plots containing tall trees with round,
evergreen tops. We caught our breath as we entered the chapel of the
Armenian Center because the entire surface of every wall was covered with
colorful frescoes illustrating stories from the Bible.

We learned that Armenians arrived in Esfehan in 1605, when they were moved
by Shah Abbas, the Persian King, from Jolfa, Armenia.

After enjoying the chapel, we were ushered into the refectory where Father
Popkin welcomed us. He explained that there are three dioceses in Iran:
the southern one in Esfehan, a northwestern one in Tabriz, and one in
northern Teheran. Father Popkin stated that the Armenian Church, which is
part of the Eastern Orthodox Church, was free to practice its faith in
Iran, as long as the church abided by the laws of the country.

It was our good fortune that the Iranian Archbishop, Doctor Ghorian
Babian, happened to be vacationing in Esfehan after an appointment in
Kuwait. He had been the Primate in Esfehan for 25 years when he was
appointed to the Persian Gulf a year ago. He, too, praised the religious
freedom minority religions enjoy in Iran.

Archbishop Babian said it was important to respect the laws of each
religion. In Islam, converting to another faith is punishable by death and
foreign evangelism has been the reason for animosity towards western
Christianity here. He said he thought it was hypocritical of the United
States to claim lack of human rights or religious freedom in Iran, when
the U.S. policy in Saudi Arabia was to pump oil out of that country for 24
years but not to build a single chapel there.

The Armenians are strong champions of interfaith dialogue, the Archbishop
added, and an Armenian is now the president of the World Council of
Churches. In Iran, the minority Armenians have schools and a seminary, and
all of these are funded by the Iranian Ministry of Culture

Other points the Archbishop wanted to make were that Islam and terrorism
should not be associated together as there are extremists in all camps.
He felt that the problem was that we don't know each other well enough,
and that Americans in particular don't know anything about the rest of the
world. The fact that Iran offered our delegation visas showed their
openness to working together, he added.

It was his opinion that we need diversity in unity and unity in diversity,
as well as acceptance of each other as we are. He further noted that
Armenians are in a unique position to be intermediaries, to show that when
you get to know someone, you are able to trust them. Archbishop Babian
advised us to extend our hand to conservative Muslims in the U.S. and
listen to them, to show them respect.

Our next stop was to a Zoroastrian Fire Temple. This was truly a wonder
for most of us. Zoroastrians believe that war is a lack of knowledge. All
people have a "leader" within them and their thoughts guide them to
enlightenment and God. The Zoroastrian priest explained the basic
philosophy of the faith, which is that humans can, through good thoughts,
words, and deeds, become one with God and see God inside themselves. Good
thoughts, words, and deeds can be the bridge between religions. He also
emphasized the need to talk to one another and accept one another.

Interestingly, the Zoroastrian priest also said that Zoroastrians were in
a unique position to be spokespersons between faiths. He has the holy
book of every faith in his office, including a book of Hafez poetry. Like
the Armenians, the priest maintained that proselytizing prevents
communication between churches, creating tension and lack of trust. He
said he sensed the peace in our group and resonated with our visions.

Continuing the day's theme of communication, we were privileged to be
invited to have lunch at the home of a middle-class Iranian family. We ate
sitting on the floor in the traditional Iranian fashion. The beautifully
prepared lunch was delicious and in the conversation following the meal,
we learned a lot about media and politics in Iran. We were interested in
how well-versed many Iranians are about international news and events.

To round out the day, we spent three hours on the Esfehan's Imam Square,
shopping and interacting with many artists and crafts people.

Dec.8-9

Qom

On our fifth day in Iran, we journeyed over desert and mountains, with stops at historic Natanz, Abyaneh and Kashan. We drove by the nuclear facility near Kashan, which is at the center of controversy between Iran and the United States.

In the desert, we saw mounds indicating centuries-old qanats - underground water transfer systems used to move water for irrigation with minimal evaporation loss.

In the town of Natanz, we viewed an ancient citadel. The town of Natanz prospers by virtue of its water supply. It boasts a large 12th-century Friday mosque and has a reputation for fine pottery, although only one lone potter survives there today.

Abyaneh is a small mountain village with red clay pueblo-like construction reminiscent of Native American dwellings. The native people in Abyaneh speak a pre-Islamic dialect and the town is remote and somewhat frozen in time.

The town of Kashan was once a walled city and a caravan site. There we toured the historic house of a merchant, who may well have dealt in silk carpets and tiles, both of which the town is known for. From Kashan we headed to Qom.

Qom is the second holiest city (after Mashad) for the Shi'a Muslims in Iran. Our women had to be even more careful to cover their hair under their hijabs (head scarves) and wear only black or dark colors. This was in sharp contrast with light-hearted and beautiful Isfahan, where we had walked along the Zayandeh River at sunset, joining crowds of Iranian strollers and feeling as if we were in Paris or Florence. But this was Qom.

Traffic in Qom was heavier than usual, thanks to an influx of people from Teheran, where high levels of smog had shut down schools and offices for three days. Many Tehranis chose to leave the city for others less smog-bound.

As our bus entered the city, the traffic rivaled that of Western cities during rush hour. We were amazed to see the colored lights and the gold dome of Fatima Massoma's glowing Shrine. Clement, our German delegate, rushed to take pictures. It turned out that the city was decorated for a religious holiday.

Some local guests invited by delegate Mary Huessy joined us in the hotel lobby to talk about life in Qom. We met Heidi, an Iranian, who is married to an American professor and convert to Islam. Mathew and Laurie Pierce, two young American Mennonites participating in a Canadian exchange program, brought Ramona, their sleepy two-year-old toddler.

Some of the men gathered in a group to talk and a few of the women sat with Laurie. (Were we already falling under the influence of social segregation?) We received some insights about the challenges of living in Iran, and in Qom in particular.

Laurie, who is studying Persian literature, said that aside from missing family and the bother of having to dress in a chador, life was quite all right. Occasionally she and her husband are asked why they don't convert to Islam, but once they tell people they are comfortable being Christians, the matter is dropped. When asked if people feel free to talk about politics, Laurie said that's all they ever talk about!

She praised the improvements in health and education that have occurred since the revolution. Compared to Egypt, where there is so much poverty, Iranians are better off, she thought. The economic gap is growing in Iran, she added, but for now, no one goes cold or hungry.

After hearing so much about how conservative Qom was, imagine our surprise to hear the laughter and music of a Kurdish wedding taking place at the hotel where we were staying. Our female guide asked the women of the wedding party if she, Kendra and Pat could join the reception. They welcomed us.

The women and men partied separately. As soon as the men left the room, the hijabs came off and the partying began. The women told us it was an honor to have us there. They told us they wanted to perform a special traditional Kurdish dance for us. Nancy, Virginia, Mary and Cynthia joined the fun as several of us danced with the women.

We explained why we were in Iran and they seemed pleased with our presence and our vision. The women were eager to see a photo of Virginia's fourteen grandchildren and it was a moment when we were able to appreciate the value of family. After eating wedding cake and receiving kisses from the women, we left, amazed by what we had just experienced. We couldn't think of a situation in the United States where we could crash a wedding party and be so warmly received.

The next day, we visited the house of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Iranian revolution. We saw the courtyard where he received guests, and the window from which he preached. He lived in this house in Qom before being exiled in 1964 to Turkey, then Iraq, and finally Paris.

From Imam Khomeini's house we walked to the Imam Ali Foundation for Translation and Publication. In the library, the men of our delegation were invited to sit with men on one side of the room and the women on the other. We met with Sheik Mohammed Al-Hassoun, the director, and Sheik Ahmed Haneef.

Sheik Al-Hassoun was born in Najaf, Iraq, studied to become an engineer and then began his theological studies. Sheik Haneef was born in Trinidad, West Indies, but moved to Canada with his family as a youth. He converted to Islam 26 years ago, under the influence of Malcolm X. In pursuit of social justice, he came to Qom 12 years ago to study. His wife and four children live with him in Qom.

Pat introduced us and gave a brief synopsis of FOR. We met with both sheiks for two hours, listened to presentations from them, and had an opportunity to ask a number of questions.

Some of their answers to our questions include the following:

The challenges of creating an Islamic state are less than one might think because Islamic principles apply to all aspects of life.

The criminal code in Islam is applied to preserve the Islamic way of life, in accordance with the social norms of the society.

We can work for peace between Iran and the United States by providing education and information on Iran and Shi'ite Islam.

In Islam, there is an obligation to prevent wrongdoing and injustice by participating in nonviolent protest, engaging in the political process, restraining injustice by your own hand, opposing by speaking and writing, and condemning the evil in your own heart.

Women have an option to study theology, but the most important role a woman can have in Islam is as a mother. There is an aspect of women's souls that brings them close to God.

Iranians differentiate between the American people and the U.S. government. While they generally view Americans favorably, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between the government and the people. In Sheik Al-Hassoun's view, the American people have not spoken up enough against the government; nor have they attempted to reverse the global problems created by the U.S. administration. By doing nothing, the American people are becoming part of the problem, he said.

We were offered books in English and a reading list on Islam. Sheik Haneef joined us for lunch.

After lunch, we drove to the Shrine of Fatima Al Masooma. Since it was Friday, the only weekend day in Iran, the shrine was very crowded with families and picnickers. Full hijbab, in the form of chador, is required for women who wish to enter the courtyard of the shrine. Only two of our women were able to visit since all the rentable chadors were in use by others, so the men and two women visited the courtyards of the shrine. Only Muslims were allowed to proceed further.

Inside, there were two courtyards, at least 400 years old. Through a curtain, we could barely see the Shrine itself.

From there we boarded the bus to return to Teheran.

Submitted by Bob Block, Virginia Baron, Ellen Poisson and Mary Huessy

Dec.9-10

Teheran

On Friday morning, we visited a synagogue and were warmly greeted by worshippers as they left Shabbat services with "Shabbat Shalom!" They were especially interested in meeting the Jewish members of our delegation.

Inside the synagogue, we met with Morris Mottaned, who is in his second term as the Jewish representative to the Iranian parliament. According to Mr. Mottaned, Iran has the second oldest Jewish community after Israel, with Jews having lived in Iran for 2,700 years. There is a mausoleum for Esther and Mordechai in Hamadan, and for Daniel in Susa.

Before the Iranian revolution, there were more than 100,000 Jews living in Iran, but there are only about 25,000 left. Mr. Mottaned promised that the Jewish community in Iran would never disappear because they have such deep roots there.

We talked with Mr. Mottaned for nearly two hours. He made the following points during our discussion:

There are many misconceptions in the West concerning the lives and status of Jews in Iran.
As of two years ago, equality under the law was established for religious minorities, for example in inheritance.
For the first time in the history of Islam, there are funds budgeted for religious minorities.
Now there is equal opportunity for employment
The Iranian authorities no long question Jewish Iranians when they travel abroad.
There are Jewish elementary and high schools, and parents can choose whether to send children there or to Iranian schools. About 40% of Jewish parents choose the Jewish schools. The 60% who attend state schools can also attend Hebrew school once a week.
Iranian Jews serve in the military, and may ask to be posted close to home so that they can have access to kosher food and attend services.
Becoming a rabbi in Iran was traditionally something handed from father to son. However, in the last 50 years, Iranian rabbis have studied in the United States, England and Israel. There are three rabbis in Iran now, 20 synagogues in Tehran, and others in more than 15 cities.
Regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict, Mr. Mottaned said that the Iranian Jewish community opposes violence on both sides and supports dialogue and compromise by both sides.

Saturday, December 10, 2005:

Our second to last day in Iran included seeing more of the country's artistic riches.

We went to the Persian Carpet Museum, which has dozens of magnificent hand-made carpets from each area of Iran. There were both city and nomad carpets made with natural colors and intricate designs and natural colors which often tell a story.

We also went to the Melli bank, Iran's central bank, where tens of thousands of crown jewels are displayed in a giant vault. We saw the peacock throne, which is entirely encrusted with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other gems, a huge globe covered with jewels, and the crowns of the Shah and royal family.

Dozen of display cases held not only jewelry, but also jeweled swords, daggers, dish covers, boxes, clothing, and even ornamentation for horses. This opulent display is only 10% of the jewels amassed by the Shahs.

Finally we visited a modern "House of Art" run by the municipality of Tehran. It is the site of exhibits, shops, a tea house and a variety of events. Several events were underway while we were there - a book talk, a new exhibit of nature photography, and a multi-media presentation showing the ravages of war.

The richness of Persian culture was evident everywhere we went. Iran has three UNESCO World Heritage sites. The tombs of poets are gathering places for the people. Our tour guide recited poetry and stories of folk wisdom, and the shops and bazaars were marvelous displays of human creativity.

Sunday, December 11, 2005:

It rained briefly on our last day in Tehran, which was also the most emotional day of the trip. Our first stop was the journalism college, which is affiliated to the state-run news agency, IRNA. Around the entrance, we saw black flags and photos of some of the 68 journalists who were killed in the terrible plane crash of a few days ago. We were ushered in to a classroom with many journalism students, most of them very young.

FOR director Pat Clark expressed our shared sorrow for their loss and told them that we had prayed for them. We thanked them for seeing us, despite their grief, as we worked to forge a bridge across the divide of our governments. Our host at the college thanked us for our sympathy and explained that the chancellor was away because of the deaths.

The college has three branches: journalism, news translation, and photojournalism. (We saw some stunning enlarged photos in the hallway). About 500 students attend classes to earn a three-year degree with good prospects for employment.

A pointed question to the delegates set the tone for the uninhibited exchange we would have: What has FOR done to prevent war? Two of our delegates, a Vietnam veteran and a Puerto Rican national, were able to give concrete responses.

We in turn asked why students study journalism when the news trend is toward blogs, which give relative freedom in the global system. A young student answered that journalism students want to acquire the latest techniques and journalistic methods in order to build "nice" relationships with other countries, and to give information without "disguising". She said, "We realize no country has absolute freedom and all reporters are constrained by their government's policies."

A very important issue for the students was their perception of U.S. complicity in the plane crash deaths of the journalists and others, through U.S. sanctions against Iran which prevented Iran from buying necessary planes and parts.

Pat Clark explained that FOR has always opposed sanctions. The students wondered whether we could use this tragic incident as a platform from which to work for the removal of sanctions. Pat said that she would discuss this matter with others at FOR and see what we might do.

We were then given 30 minutes of one-on-one communication. Everyone found this interaction to be very satisfying. Pat was also able to deliver over 500 messages of peace to the deputy director of the journalism school, who promised to share them.

We proceeded next to the Saad Abad - the Tehran summer palace of the Pahlavi dynasty (who ruled Iran until 1979.) In 1943, during the Tehran Conference, Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt reaffirmed their alliance with Iran against Nazi Germany.

We learned a lot about the origins of oil-drilling in Iran in the early 20th century by British companies. We also learned about the 1953 coup de etat, which overthrew the popularly elected Iranian prime minister, and the growth of Iran's parliamentary democracy in the 1940s and '50s.

After another delicious lunch, we walked though an urban neighborhood to the home of Ms. Moggadam, environmentalist and feminist. There we met several members of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Women Against Pollution. Among them was the group's founder, 88-year-old Mrs Mallah, and her husband of 60 years.

Mrs. Mallah, who has a Ph.D. degree from the Sorbonne, said she concluded 30 years ago that unless we rescue the environment, we can't live together peacefully.

She believes women have a significant responsibility in fighting pollution, since they play a role in producing it. For 70 years, Mrs. Mallah said, she had studied women, particularly herself, and found several areas in which women could assist in reducing pollution and revitalizing nature.

Women as mothers: Women control the power of reproduction and must accept responsibility for there being too many people the world, including two million starving people. Obtaining a balance between humans and nature, requires controlling the birth rate.
Women are natural teachers: Mothers either guide or misguide their children.
Women as home makers: Women manage the home, deciding what type of furniture, appliances, clothing, and food their families will consume. However, capitalism manipulates women and encourages consumerism. "Shopping Disease" is encouraged by capitalism.
Mrs. Mallah explained that excessive and unnecessary use of natural resources produces unmanageable amounts of garbage. She suggested two roles for women: promoting knowledge and educating people; and monitoring any kind of activity that destroys the environment. Women can be "whistleblowers," giving news to the rest of the world.

An example of the work of the group was to contest the building of the new highway between Tehran and the Caspian Sea, which would cut through and destroy the only pre-ice age forest range in the world. The women stood in front of two bulldozers, and wrote letters of protest to the Guardian Council (upper house of parliament) and Majlis (lower house). They have also advocated for Iran to sign the Kyoto agreement.

Mrs. Mallah, who has been arrested herself, maintained that women are more brave than men because they have nothing to lose. She said the government had not investigated the environmental impact of the highway project, but her group did. They did not prevail against the construction, but did overturn the planned sale of surrounding land to finance the highway.

Her organization has 1,000 members in Tehran and 5,000 throughout Iran, 4,000 of whom are women. Over 250 NGOs exist in Iran. In response to our questions about "green building", Mrs. Mallah said a new cabinet position has been created to advance new energy sources, and all schools include environmentalism in their curricula.

Submitted by Ellen Poisson, Bonnie Block and Kim Brasch

Dec.12

Teheran