SNCC Sit In — Feb. 1, 1960

However, during a month-long stay in Palestine and Israel recently, I found something else.  I found something very positive and hopeful and perhaps the key to a peaceful resolution of this tragic conflict — and a possible path toward a peaceful future for both peoples.

  
I found that violence is not the whole story.  Endless checkpoints, 26-foot high walls, and the great fear and mistrust between many Israelis and Palestinians are grimly persistent features of life there.  But there is also an alternative to this cycle of destruction being forged on both sides. There is a larger story beyond the script of retaliatory violence – a story of a growing nonviolent movement that both Palestinians and Israelis are building.  It is this larger story that I would like to share.  

Active Nonviolence is alive and well in Palestine and Israel! The interfaith delegation I co-led to this region witnessed, first hand, many Palestinians who are engaged in active nonviolent resistance to the occupation of their lands in the West Bank.  Weekly nonviolent demonstrations have been held in many villages, including Bil'in, Nil'in, Al Ma'sara, Walaja, as well as in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East. Jerusalem, some for more than five years.  Israelis (including Combatants for Peace and Anarchists Against the Wall), and Internationals, (including Christian Peacemaker Teams, Ecumenical Accompaniment Program and Michigan Peace Teams) actively participate in these weekly actions.  There is a deeply inspiring commitment by Palestinians throughout the region to keep struggling nonviolently even when Israeli soldiers shoot powerful tear-gas canisters and grenades, rubber-coated steel bullets, concussion bombs and even live ammunition at the unarmed villagers.

Click here for 12-page, full report in PDF format.

The people of Gaza were so happy we had come, and also deeply appreciated the more than 1,300 others who were not allowed in, but marched in solidarity with us in Cairo. Gaza is like a large prison.  The people of Gaza are all but completely cut off from the rest of the world. They cannot travel or visit relatives living outside the armed apartheid wall which borders all of Gaza, and family members and relatives living outside the area cannot visit their families in Gaza.  Only very limited food and medical supplies are able to get in, building supplies and all the other necessities of life can not be imported, and no goods are exported.

The people are suffering severe trauma. During Operation Cast Lead a year ago, the Israeli military subjected the people of Gaza to horrendous violence for more than three weeks. .Israeli air strikes killed over 1,400 Palestinians.  Five thousand people were injured, and more than 50,000 were left homeless. While there, we saw massive destruction of thousands of homes, 700 factories or places of business, 24 mosques, 10 water or sewage lines, 34 health facilities including eight hospitals, many schools and UN buildings, and millions of dollars in destroyed infrastructure (During the attack thirteen Israelis were killed by rockets shot from Gaza.) (See www.afsc.org/chicago/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/85478 for more on the Crisis in Gaza)

My dad had worked in Gaza back in 1949 with the Quakers, distributing tents, food and medicines to the Palestinian refugees of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.  It was particularly painful for me to realize that now, 61 years later, not only those refugees, but their children and grandchildren, are still living in refugee camps in the prison called Gaza.

In one refugee camp we visited which had been severely hit by the Israeli attack last year, we met a family who had lost 28 of its extended family members in the attack. The mother shared her deep grief at the loss. There was nothing for the children to play with. There were holes in the roof of their small home through which rain flowed.  The cement blocks in the upper part of the small house, which had suffered severe damage, were re-laid with mud after the bombing, because no cement is allowed into Gaza. She had a picture on the wall of all her lost family members. How horrible for anyone to have to endure this tragic loss!  

One happy note was that a Veteran for Peace from New Mexico, had brought fifty beautiful teddy bears which we were able to give to some of the children in the camp.  This brought great joy amidst all the destruction.

We visited schools where the children had such beautiful faces shining amidst the ruins of their school buildings.  In order to accommodate all of the students, the schools now have two shifts each day in the parts of the buildings which were left standing after the siege, but there are only a bare minimum of school supplies. Building supplies are not allowed into Gaza to repair the schools or medical centers, or homes, and they rarely get school supplies.

We visited an orphanage, supported by the Lutheran church, where each child had lost both of their parents. It was very well organized and very neat; the children had clean clothes, adequate food, and even comfortable beds to sleep on which were decorated with beautiful stuffed animals. We had lunch with the children – each of us at a table with six  children of the orphanage. Although we were not able to communicate much with words, we were able to communicate with loving smiles.  

One of the highlights of our time in Gaza was to have with us four Hasidic Orthodox Jewish Rabbis from the organization Orthodox Jews Against Zionism or Naturei Karta International. They were dressed with their black coats and black broad rimmed hats and curls of hair down the sides of their faces, and were carrying A banner with a Palestinian flag and the message, "Judaism Demands Freedom for Gaza and All Palestine" , and buttons which said  "A Jew is not a Zionist". , The people of Gaza were thrilled to meet these Jewish people who were committed to honoring the humanity of the Palestinian people and came all the way to Gaza to proclaim their support for the Palestinians and an End to the Siege of Gaza.

THE GAZA FREEDOM MARCH-December 31, 2009:

The original plan had been for the 1,340 internationals to join 50,000 Gazans on the Freedom March.  However, under the new constraints, 90 of us marched to the Israeli border crossing called Erez, along with 1,000 Gazans,.  We brought our demands to the Israeli government to end the Siege of Gaza, and let the people live!!!

I marched with two school teachers who were deeply moved that people from other parts of the world cared about their fate, and were willing to go through all the roadblocks and hurdles and expense to get into Gaza to join them. We marched through kilometer after kilometer of bombed out homes, factories and shops. We saw men gathering up the rubble, recycling the rebar, and grinding up smashed cement to make new cement to rebuild their homes and buildings.

One of the great joys for me was meeting Mustafa (from Gaza) whose father had worked with my Dad and the Quakers in a refugee camp in Rafah back in 1949. The Quakers and the UN distributed food, tents and medicine to over 250,000 refugees who had to flee their homes in the 1948 war.  Mustafa, following in his dad's footsteps, works for an NGO doing both humanitarian relief and training in conflict resolution, peacemaking, and active nonviolence.  

It is so sad to think of the many generations of children who have had to grow up as refugees over these 61 years.  Many families still have the keys to their original homes in what is now Israel, and keep them with the hope that someday they might be able to return to their homes. 

Some of our group went out with fishermen in their small fishing boats. Israel does not allow them to go out beyond 2.5 kilometers to fish and, there are few fish available so close to the shore.  In the past they used to go out 60 km.  If they ever stray beyond the imposed 2.5 km limit, they are often shot at by Israeli soldiers.  When unarmed internationals are present on the boats, they offer some protection.

The farmers have a similar problem. Gaza's most fertile land is close to the Israeli border. If the farmers cultivate too close to the so-called apartheid wall, which separates Gaza from Israel, they may be shot by Israeli soldiers.

NGOs in Gaza also feel pressure from Hamas, the elected Palestinian government there.  A women's NGO told us that because they were affiliated with Fatah (the other main Palestinian political party) they are given a hard time and sometimes even arrested.

Others are closely watched.  It is often said that people who have been oppressed, often end up being oppressors to others. This has happened to many Israelis who experienced the horrors of the Holocaust and are now oppressing the Palestinians. It seems that Hamas, whose members have suffered 61 years of oppression by Israelis, are now oppressing their own people, the Palestinians in Gaza.

Reflection:  Somehow, we have to get out of this vicious circle of violence and oppression and counter-violence.  All of us – Israelis, Palestinians, and Americans (whose government supports the Israeli apartheid regime and the war and siege of Gaza) must come to understand that security comes NOT through more arms and guns and oppression of others.  It can ONLY come by treating all people as children of God, and with respect and dignity as our brothers and sisters. If we- Israelis, Palestinians and Americans- could only understand this, we and the whole world would all be much more secure.  

Even though we may not like the elected Hamas government, the United States needs to get clear on whether it really supports Democracy and the right of people to elect their own government, or if we support Democracy only when the people elect the government we would like them to vote for.  Former President Jimmy Carter, who headed up an election monitoring mission during the Palestinian elections, said: "The elections were completely honest, completely fair, completely safe and without violence."  Should the United States, Israel and the rest of the world force the people of Gaza to suffer untold misery because we do not like their elected government?  And is the Hamas government more terrorist than the US government which is raining bombs and death on the people of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan?

After all that I directly experienced, not only in Gaza, but in Palestine, the West Bank and Israel, I came to firmly believe that the US needs to stop sending the more than $3 billion a year blank check to Israel! We, the citizens of the United States, are paying for the bombs, guns, bullets, planes and bulldozers; and we are supporting the settlements in the West Bank which are taking away the homes and farmlands of the Palestinian people. 

The whole world needs to bring pressure on Israel to end the siege of Gaza.  We need to support Palestinians engaged in nonviolent struggle to liberate their country from the occupation by Israel.  I ask you to consider this important question: "Wouldn't American taxpayer money be much better spent supporting Mustafa and others training Palestinian young people in conflict resolution and active nonviolence rather than in giving many billions of dollars to the Israeli government for more weapons, planes, ammunition and the building of  more walls?"  I hope you will join me in the growing world-wide movement to help end the Siege of Gaza and the Occupation of Palestine and the West Bank.!  

What you can do to help:  Over 200 Palestinian and Israeli progressive organizations are calling for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel and companies that profit from its occupation and apartheid policies. …BDS will bring pressure on Israel to stop their siege of Gaza, to end their expanding armed occupation of Palestine and the West Bank, and to negotiate a peaceful solution

 (See http://www.bdsmovement.net/ for more info about the BDS movement

David Hartsough is a Quaker, father and grandfather, Director of PEACEWORKERS, based in San Francisco, Co-founder of Nonviolent Peaceforce, and recently spent a month in Palestine and Israel.

It is New Year's Day evening. The moon is really full over Tahrir Square in front of The Mogamma; it is beginning to feel like the Gaza Freedom Marchers' place.  We have done nonviolence training there, kicked off the march from points along it's perimeter and across from it, celebrated New Year's Eve and welcomed in a year of greater promise, and closed this phase of the journey together there.

At the closing circle I treasured seeing the chief of police who has followed us throughout the week with hundreds of his young conscripts (who I now affectionately call our "boys in black") enter our large circle, ostensibly to do crowed control; he ended up accepting a proffered cookie, leaving with a smile on his face……Small steps in the path toward world peace and understanding, based on sharing our humanity.

  
Yesterday was a day beginning with a rocket blast.  We were having a quiet interfaith service down on the floor below, when we got the hurried message that the police were starting to barricade the hotels we were staying in, and we needed to get out right away.  They did a total lock down of the Lotus Hotel, and those folks never made it to the march.

Louie, Jan and I raced to finalize our packing, turn in our money for safekeeping and get all the way downstairs, without using the elevators.  I could feel my heart racing, and wondering if there would be a showdown before the action ever formally began.

We did make it out and began our search for a spot to "casually stroll in small groups of two or three around the square;" more than that number is an illegal gathering.  We ended up using the metro tunnels to come up on the other side, and parked ourselves on the bus stop bench to read the newspaper and chat, trying to look unobtrusive.  When Lisa strolled by  with Starhawk we knew we'd chosen the right spot to wait, and Louie was particularly thrilled to be in the middle of the action.

Two to three at a time we dropped into a line, 5-10 feet apart and made our way over to the other side of the square where, at a common signal, we all took the street with signs and shouts.  It was thrilling linking arms, and chanting for GAZA.

Very quickly we were surrounded by our "boys in black", but the violent energy was palpable.  Once they closed us in on all 4 sides they started picking off individuals, separating vulnerable ones from the group, and hitting, dragging, kicking, etc. them as they pulled them out of the crowd.  Visions of the movies many have seen like the Orange Revolution danced through my head.

Some sat down and that strategy turned out to be particularly provocative.  We anticipated that they would be less physical if we were not standing, but that was not true.  It seemed to anger them more and they used even greater violence to try and show they were in control. Large welts, and a dislocated shoulder were amongst the injuries…..

The three of us were linked with several hunger strikers, and we agreed to work our way over to the area where the police said you could move to the sidewalk peaceably.  However, when our way was blocked by others who were going limp, and we weren't moving fast enough, two rows of the special forces who are particularly violent began crushing us between them.  Louie and I kept repeating that we were trying to get to the sidewalk but the crush continued.

We were close enough to witness the blows many were being dealt; the police seemed angry and determined to get us out of the street, at any cost.  Ultimately they succeeded and corralled us up on a large section of the block.  Since taking the street for as long as we could, and then occupying a sidewalk like the French had done, were both part of the plan, we celebrated the victory of the whole action with cheers.  However, it quickly became apparent that there were at least two types of energy in the crowd; one more militant;  the other busily holding the line, singing and trying to make eye contact with the young recruits; a small, enthusiastically  played accordion united us all.

The remainder of the day was like that…  Affinity group representatives meeting to decide about food, supplies, process; chanting; dance circles, clapping, cheers in many languages, flags being hung from light poles and trees by dangling international representatives;  all surrounded by a wall of black clad youth who secretly accepted trail bars when their commander wasn't looking, whispering "we love you."  We did notice that they subtly kept moving back slowly giving us more ground; perhaps an acknowledgement of our non-violence.

People napped, read or played cards; others chanted with raised voices and fists led by megaphoned cheerleaders riding on the shoulders of comrades. We discovered that some were leaving and returning after bathroom breaks with food–always carrying extra for those of us still holding the space. That privilege was quickly revoked by a more hard-lined commander. It was a great sense of solidarity.

The delegates from the USA all voted to stay until at least midnite, but were overridden by other internationals who believed that we'd maximized the potential of the action.  We left around 4:30 in small clusters, without ceremony or a sense of closure…perhaps a disappointing end to a day that had been filled with enthusiasm. Instead of welcoming the New Year in an encampment, we reconvened in "our plaza" for softer celebrations and quieter conversations, punctuated, again, by the wonderful songs wafting across the crowds from the accordion. Some made a four foot mandala out of candles which spelled out the word GAZA—hopefully a symbolic indication of new light coming to that occupied area this year;  we circled it, all carrying candles, to add to that light and welcome a new year of hope and peace.

It was clearly not our hoped and longed for goal of being in Gaza.  However, the action got press all over the world, with "breaking news" broadcasts on major networks in 40+ nations!  Perhaps our goal to bring the plight of the oppressed in Gaza and the West Bank to the attention of the world was a resounding success.  All I am sure of at this point is the work has just begun.

We send love and a heartfelt hope for peace to each of you in the year to come.

Sherri for Jan, Louie, David and myself

The Cairo Declaration of January 1, 2010

We, international delegates meeting in Cairo during the Gaza Freedom March 2009 in collective response to an initiative from the South African delegation, state:

In view of:

• Israel's ongoing collective punishment of Palestinians through the illegal occupation and siege of Gaza;
• the illegal occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the continued construction of the illegal Apartheid Wall and settlements;
• the new Wall under construction by Egypt and the US which will tighten even further the siege of Gaza;
• the contempt for Palestinian democracy shown by Israel, the US, Canada, the EU and others after the Palestinian elections of 2006;
• the war crimes committed by Israel during the invasion of Gaza one year ago;
• the continuing discrimination and repression faced by Palestinians within Israel;
• and the continuing exile of millions of Palestinian refugees;
• all of which oppressive acts are based ultimately on the Zionist ideology which underpins Israel;
• in the knowledge that our own governments have given Israel direct economic, financial, military and diplomatic support and allowed it to behave with impunity;
• and mindful of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (2007)
    

We reaffirm our commitment to:

Palestinian Self-Determination

Ending the Occupation

Equal Rights for All within historic Palestine

The full Right of Return for Palestinian refugees

We therefore reaffirm our commitment to the United Palestinian call of July 2005 for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) to compel Israel to comply with international law.

To that end, we call for and wish to help initiate a global mass, democratic anti-apartheid movement to work in full consultation with Palestinian civil society to implement the Palestinian call for BDS.

Mindful of the many strong similarities between apartheid Israel and the former apartheid regime in South Africa, we propose:

1. An international speaking tour in the first 6 months of 2010 by Palestinian and South African trade unionists and civil society activists, to be joined by trade unionists and activists committed to this programme within the countries toured, to take mass education on BDS directly to the trade union membership and wider public internationally;

2. Participation in the Israeli Apartheid Week in March 2010;

3. A systematic unified approach to the boycott of Israeli products, involving consumers, workers and their unions in the retail, warehousing, and transportation sectors;

4. Developing the Academic, Cultural and Sports boycott;

5. Campaigns to encourage divestment of trade union and other pension funds from companies directly implicated in the Occupation and/or the Israeli military industries;

6. Legal actions targeting the external recruitment of soldiers to serve in the Israeli military, and the prosecution of Israeli government war criminals; coordination of Citizen's Arrest Bureaux to identify, campaign and seek to prosecute Israeli war criminals; support for the Goldstone Report and the implementation of its recommendations;

7. Campaigns against charitable status of the Jewish National Fund (JNF).

We appeal to organisations and individuals committed to this declaration to sign it and work with us to make it a reality.

Please e-mail us at cairodec@gmail.com

Signed by:    (* Affiliation for identification purposes only.)

1. Hedy Epstein, Holocaust Survivor/ Women in Black*, USA
2. Nomthandazo Sikiti, Nehawu, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), Affiliate International Officer*, South Africa
3. Zico Tamela, Satawu, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) Affiliate International Officer*, South Africa
4. Hlokoza Motau, Numsa, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) Affiliate International Officer*, South Africa
5. George Mahlangu, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) Campaigns Coordinator*, South Africa
6. Crystal Dicks, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) Education Secretary*, South Africa
7. Savera Kalideen, SA Palestinian Solidarity Committee*, South Africa
8. Suzanne Hotz, SA Palestinian Solidarity Group*, South Africa
9. Shehnaaz Wadee, SA Palestinian Solidarity Alliance*, South Africa
10. Haroon Wadee, SA Palestinian Solidarity Alliance*, South Africa
11. Sayeed Dhansey, South Africa
12. Faiza Desai, SA Palestinian Solidarity Alliance*, South Africa
13. Ali Abunimah, Electronic Intifada*, USA
14. Hilary Minch, Ireland Palestine Solidarity Committee*, Ireland
15. Anthony Loewenstein, Australia
16. Sam Perlo-Freeman, United Kingdom
17. Julie Moentk, Pax Christi*, USA
18. Ulf Fogelström, Sweden
19. Ann Polivka, Chico Peace and Justice Center*, USA
20. Mark Johnson, Fellowship of Reconciliation*, USA
21. Elfi Padovan, Munich Peace Committee*/Die Linke*, Germany
22. Elizabeth Barger, Peace Roots Alliance*/Plenty I*, USA
23. Sarah Roche-Mahdi, CodePink*, USA
24. Svetlana Gesheva-Anar, Bulgaria
25. Cristina Ruiz Cortina, Al Quds-Malaga*, Spain
26. Rachel Wyon, Boston Gaza Freedom March*, USA
27. Mary Hughes-Thompson, Women in Black*, USA
28. David Letwin, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN)*, USA
29. Jean Athey, Peace Action Montgomery*, USA
30. Gael Murphy, Gaza Freedom March*/CodePink*, USA
31. Thomas M^cAfee, Journalist/PC*, USA
32. Jean Louis Faure, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN)*, France
33. Timothy A King, Christians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East*, USA
34. Gail Chalbi, Palestine/Israel Justice Project of the Minnesota United Methodist Church*, USA
35. Ouahib Chalbi, Palestine/Israel Justice Project of the Minnesota United Methodist Church*, USA
36. Greg Dropkin, Liverpool Friends of Palestine*, England
37. Felice Gelman, Wespac Peace and Justice New York*/Gaza Freedom March*, USA
38. Ron Witton, Australian Academic Union*, Australia
39. Hayley Wallace, Palestine Solidarity Committee*, USA
40. Norma Turner, Manchester Palestine Solidarity Campaign*, England
41. Paula Abrams-Hourani, Women in Black (Vienna)*/ Jewish Voice for Just Peace in the Middle East*, Austria
42. Mateo Bernal, Industrial Workers of the World*, USA
43. Mary Mattieu, Collectif Urgence Palestine*, Switzerland
44. Agneta Zuppinger, Collectif Urgence Palestine*, Switzerland
45. Ashley Annis, People for Peace*, Canada
46. Peige Desgarlois, People for Peace*, Canada
47. Hannah Carter, Canadian Friends of Sabeel*, Canada
48. Laura Ashfield, Canadian Friends of Sabeel*, Canada
49. Iman Ghazal, People for Peace*, Canada
50. Filsam Farah, People for Peace*, Canada
51. Awa Allin, People for Peace*, Canada
52. Cleopatra M^cGovern, USA
53. Miranda Collet, Spain
54. Alison Phillips, Scotland
55. Nicholas Abramson, Middle East Crisis Response Network*/Jews Say No*, USA
56. Tarak Kauff, Middle East Crisis Response Network*/Veterans for Peace*, USA
57. Jesse Meisler-Abramson, USA
58. Hope Mariposa, USA
59. Ivesa Lübben. Bremer Netzwerk fur Gerechten Frieden in Nahost*, Germany
60. Sheila Finan, Mid-Hudson Council MERC*, USA
61. Joanne Lingle, Christians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East (CPJME)*, USA
62. Barbara Lubin, Middle East Children's Alliance*, USA
63. Josie Shields-Stromsness, Middle East Children's Alliance*, USA
64. Anna Keuchen, Germany
65. Judith Mahoney Pasternak, WRL* and Indypendent*, USA
66. Ellen Davidson, New York City Indymedia*, WRL*, Indypendent*, USA
67. Ina Kelleher, USA
68. Lee Gargagliano, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (Chicago)*, USA
69. Brad Taylor, OUT-FM*, USA
70. Helga Mankovitz, SPHR (Queen's University)*, Canada
71. Mick Napier, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign*, Scotland
72. Agnes Kueng, Paso Basel*, Switzerland
73. Anne Paxton, Voices of Palestine*, USA
74. Leila El Abtah, The Netherlands
75. Richard, Van der Wouden, The Netherlands
76. Rafiq A. Firis, P.K.R.*/Isra*, The Netherlands
77. Sandra Tamari, USA
78. Alice Azzouzi, Way to Jerusalem*, USA
79. J'Ann Schoonmaker Allen, USA
80. Ruth F. Hooke, Episcopalian Peace Fellowship*, USA
81. Jean E. Lee, Holy Land Awareness Action Task Group of United Church of Canada*, Canada
82. Delphine de Boutray, Association Thèâtre Cine*, France
83. Sylvia Schwarz, USA
84. Alexandra Safi, Germany
85. Abdullah Anar, Green Party – Turkey*, Turkey
86. Ted Auerbach, USA
87. Martha Hennessy, Catholic Worker*, USA
88. Louis Ultale, Interfaile Pace e Bene*, USA
89. Leila Zand, Fellowship of Reconciliation*, USA
90. Emma Grigore, CodePink*, USA
91. Sammer Abdelela, New York Community of Muslim Progressives*, USA
92. Sharat G. Lin, San Jose Peace and Justice Center*, USA
93. Katherine E. Sheetz, Free Gaza*, USA
94. Steve Greaves, Free Gaza*, USA
95. Trevor Baumgartner, Free Gaza*, USA
96. Hanan Tabbara, USA
97. Marina Barakatt, CodePink*, USA
98. Keren Bariyov, USA
99. Ursula Sagmeister, Women in Black – Vienna*, Austria
100. Ann Cunningham, Australia
101. Bill Perry, Delaware Valley Veterans for Peace*, USA
102. Terry Perry, Delaware Valley Veterans for Peace*, USA
103. Athena Viscusi, USA
104. Marco Viscusi, USA
105. Paki Wieland, Northampton Committee*, USA
106. Manijeh Saba, New York / New Jersey, USA
107. Ellen Graves, USA
108. Zoë Lawlor, Ireland – Palestine Solidarity Campaign*, Ireland
109. Miguel García Grassot, Al Quds – Málaga*, Spain
110. Ana Mamora Romero, ASPA-Asociacion Andaluza Solidaridad y Paz*, Spain
111. Ehab Lotayef, CJPP Canada*, Canada
112. David Heap, London Anti-War*, Canada
113. Adie Mormech, Free Gaza* / Action Palestine*, England
114. Aimee Shalan, UK
115. Liliane Cordova, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN)*, Spain
116. Priscilla Lynch, USA
117. Jenna Bitar, USA
118. Deborah Mardon, USA
119. Becky Thompson, USA
120. Diane Hereford, USA
121. David Heap, People for Peace London*, Canada
122. Donah Abdulla, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights*, Canada
123. Wendy Goldsmith, People for Peace London*, Canada
124. Abdu Mihirig, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights-UBC*, Canada
125. Saldibastami, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights-UBC*, Canada
126. Abdenahmane Bouaffad, CMF*, France
127. Feroze Mithiborwala, Awami Bharat*, India
128. John Dear, Pax Christi*, USA

A delegation of 20 American peacemakers planned to visit the much maligned nation of Iran in late February. Only six received visas. Among these were David Hartsough and Franciscan Fr. Louie Vitale. They returned brimming with fondness, hope and heartening stories.

David, the delegation leader, is a long time Quaker peacemaker who worked with the American Friends Service Committee for 18 years and co-founded Nonviolent Peace Force, an international project that places trained nonviolence workers in conflict situations. He currently directs Peaceworkers, an organization that supports nonviolent movements around the world.

   In Iran, the delegation met people from all walks of life, merchants and professors, students and politicians, families and clergy, and the report of their sincerity by no means surprises me. David said: “The Iranian people are friendly, beautiful, kind and generous. They love the American people and would like more people to people contacts and exchanges. To pretend we’re enemies is sad.”

But apprehension and anxiety hang on the air — so much so that only about 300 Americans are in Iran at any one time. Such a climate of tension makes delegations like David’s a balm for worry and fear.

And more than a balm. The delegation shines light on American hypocrisy and offers a hand of reconciliation. American relations with Iran are checkered indeed.

• In 1953, the CIA overthrew the democratically elected Iranian government headed by Prime Minister Mossadegh.
• In 1988, the U.S.S. Vincennes shot down an Iranian civilian airliner. All 290 aboard died, but no apology from the U.S. was ever issued. The ship’s captain, William Rogers, later received the Legion of Merit.
• The U.S. propped up the rule of Iran’s Shah—a brutal and repressive ruler of his own people.
• And in Iraq, the U.S. propped the rule of Saddam Hussein as he waged war against Iran between 1980 and 1988, unleashing the obscenity of chemical weapons.
• And as for the red herring of nuclear weapons, the U.S. practices a glaring double standard. More than 10,000 sit poised in our arsenal. Israel keeps its own nuclear arsenal under U.S. defense. But Iranian aspirations bring down an unrelieved barrage of American threats. Namely, as done to Iraq, so to Iran — a threat maintained despite that, in Iraq, not one nuke turned up. Of interest there, as we suspected, were the rich fields of oil.

For all this, David takes the United States to task. “We were amazed to learn that Iran, a nation of 66 million, has not attacked another country in the past 200 years. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for our country. Being in Iran, we were struck by the arrogance of our own country. Iran is an ancient country and culture and a relatively young U.S. is trying to tell Iran how to act — as if it were relating to a naughty child. This does not go over very well in Iran.”

Iran’s culture is nearly transhistorical, reaching back some 2,500 years. Primordial and profound are the customs, artifacts, architectural lines. The mosques, museums and universities — the wisdom of the poets — they all bespeak an ancient reverence for life.

The delegation was gladly received in Esfahan, Shiraz, Tehran the capital, and Qom, the religious capital, where the major Muslim seminary is. By contrast, they were less warmly greeted at the airport. There authorities inked their fingers and imposed harsh questions — all part and parcel of a paranoid government.

Such treatment and more is visited upon all manner of Iranian activists: student organizers, human rights workers and women advocates, such as Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi. (Ebadi is a brilliant lawyer and one of the world’s leading activists. I spent a memorable evening with her in Denver a few years ago.) Iranian activists are harassed, in part because of rampant suspicion about shenanigans by the United States.

But the common people received the delegation as a sign of hope. They met with wounded veterans of the Iran-Iraq war. “What was so powerful,” David said, “was that no one spoke of revenge.” They talked rather of building a new world, a world where weapons are banished and no one suffers anymore the anguish of war. Some in Tehran are building a peace museum.

David puts an end to the tendentious media image. “Contrary to the image many in the U.S. have of Iranians as terrorists running around with missiles in their pockets and threatening other countries, we found that almost every Iranian we met has a passionate desire for peace.”

At the moment, Iran is surrounded by war, all of it instigated by the U.S.—to the west, Iraq, to the east, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In this agitated sea of war, Iran is an island.

“Iran,” said David, “could be very helpful in helping bring peace to Iraq and Afghanistan. More, Iran and the U.S. could work together for a genuine peace between Israel and Palestine. Together we could help create a nuclear-weapons free Middle East. From my experience, the Iranian people and the American people would fully support our governments in moving from confrontation and threats to negotiations and peace. We could rid the world of all weapons of mass destruction if we worked together.”

Willingness to work together sprang up wherever David went. In a park in Esfahan, a man approached him smiling, pointing at David’s T-shirt. It bore words of conciliation: "Peace with Iran” in English and Farsi. The man said, “Thank you for your message. We are all children of one God under one sky on the same earth. We need to see ourselves as brothers and sisters and friends, not as Iranians or Americans or Muslims or Christians—or enemies.”

David’s new friend was named Hamid, a fireman at the Shiraz airport. He and his family were in Esfahan on holiday. And the conversation grew animated. “All religions teach us to love one another,” Hamid said. And he talked of the peaceable influence in his culture of the Sufis and the poet Hafez. “I in turn,” said David, “encouraged him to read Mahatma Gandhi.”

Presently, Hamid’s family drifted toward him from the playground, curious about this visitor from America. “I immediately felt deep love for them,” David said. “I took a picture of Hamid with his family and they took one of me with Hamid.” A brief encounter to be sure, but when the threat of violence hangs on the air, a gesture of peace between like-minded people forms deep brotherly love. “I wish everyone could have this kind of experience across the barriers of nationality, religion and enmity by our governments, and discover our common humanity.”

They said goodbye and David moved along, through a busy bazaar. Out of one shop a man emerged, asking, “Where are you from? Where are you from?” When he heard America he offered a big smile. “Welcome to Iran,” he cried. “We are very glad to have you here. We would like many more people to come visit us from America. But don’t bring your guns!”

“Yes,” says David, “we need many more Americans coming to Iran, and many more Iranians coming to the U.S.” Only then can we know and understand one another. Only then can we “gain a greater appreciation of one another as people, and learn each other’s culture, history, and viewpoints.” A citizenry that loves its “enemies”—enemies more often than not foisted upon us by our government—will agitate that the government engage in diplomacy and in building trust. And conversely, agitate to “leave our guns and threats of war at home—or even better, in the dustbins of history.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency recently confirmed a U.S. intelligence report that since 2003 there has been no sign that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. The fact gains credence by the attitude of Iranian’s Muslim leaders. They tell David, “developing or using nuclear weapons is immoral and therefore Iran would never develop them.”

I pray that religious leaders in America embrace a similar attitude. Of course, some do, rare as it is. Among the few is Fr. Louie Vitale, 77. He told Muslim leaders there that to be in solidarity with them, he has kept the Ramadan fast every year since 2001. This bit of news moved them deeply. As he continued, they grew amazed. Louie went on to tell them of his two years in jail for opposing U.S. warmaking and the adoption of torture.

Here was a noble history coming around again — a Franciscan, speaking peace to Muslim sisters and brothers, in glowing emulation of St. Francis himself, who during the church’s infamous crusades offered friendship to the feared and maligned sultan.

The two weeks came to a close, and David offered an appeal to Americans. “I hope all people will contact President Obama and their members of Congress and encourage them to move away from confrontation and threats against Iran and to a commitment to resolve all our differences through diplomacy, negotiation and real respect for one another.”

And he assures us. “People on both sides would support this.” He offers a the prospect of real hope. Here is our chance to “move from the Axis of Evil to the Axis of Friendship, and leave the old politics of confrontation and war behind and replace them with a new politics of peace and friendship.”

* * * *

David Hartsough’s work can be seen at: www.peaceworkersus.org [1] and www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org [2]. For information on Fr. Louie’s upcoming national speaking tour, see: www.paceebene.org [3]. St. Anthony Messenger Press has just published, John Dear On Peace: An Introduction to His Life and Work by Patricia Normile. John also has two new books, A Persistent Peace (his autobiography, from Loyola Press), and Put Down Your Sword, (Eerdmans) a collection of essays on nonviolence.

In this post are essays by Ann Morrell, Bill Gillen, and Jack Schultz. Ann wrote about what she describes as the highlight of her trip, a connection she made with a group of schoolgirls in Esfahan (see above photo):

We were descending the steps on the way out of the Palace of the Forty Columns in Esfahan. We only saw twenty columns because the large reflecting pool was drained and instead of the shimmering reflection of the twenty columns, we saw workmen patching the sides of the pool. It was a beautiful sunny morning in a lovely park. On the steps were so many teenaged girls talking together in clumps that I surmised they were on a school trip. 
 

Maybe at home they show a little variety and wear a long jacket and a scarf, but for this trip they were uniformly swathed in black draping. Passing by, I happened to meet the eyes of one of the girls, and smiled at her. She giggled and flashed a brilliant smile, so I said, “Hello.”  She gushed, “Hello. Hello” back, and advanced towards me. Two or three of her friends followed. One of them said, “Where are you from?” and I replied, “America.” “America!” an astonished gasp. Now I had twelve girls ringed around me, and more crowding up from behind. I began to explain that we came as a peace delegation to build friendship between the Iranian and American people.

This vocabulary was a little advanced, and the girls pulled forward their mate with the best English. I explained again, and she translated. There was a chorus in response of “Welcome! I am happy to see you! Do you like Iran? We are so glad you are here!”

Now a man and woman came closer from my left, clearly the teachers in charge, and I explained to them that we were Americans coming to build peace between Iran and America. The young lady with the good English translated. The man, who had a serious air about him, said in Farsi, “That would be a very good thing. We would like to be friends with America.” I stuck my neck out a little further and said, “The people are friendly, it is just the governments that make the problem.” He replied, speaking through his youthful translator: “The Government of Iran erects no barricades against friendship.” I said something like, “But our American government has been very unfriendly.” He waved this away and seemed to apologize for having implied it. “Well, that’s all politics. Welcome. Do you like Iran?”

We said a few more things, and then the teachers and girls moved off to the other side of the pool. I went back to my fellow delegates. Then I went after them. I caught up and gave my business card to the English speaker. “Send me an email,” I said. “You can practice your English.”

I rejoined my five male colleagues, and we regrouped for a minute. David said, “Oh, we should have taken a picture with the girls and the Peace with Iran banner.” But the classes were too far away and the moment was past.

We strolled along the pool and stopped at a postcard stand. Everyone looked and some of us bought a few cards. That done, we went to the end of the reflecting pool, and pulled out the “Peace with Iran” banner, posed ourselves with the palace in the background, and had our wonderful guide Said take a photo. As we were folding up the banner, Bill said to me, “Ann, I think those are some of your fans again.” Indeed, they had progressed down the opposite side of the pool, and were again waving and calling out to me, “Hello! Hello!” Dozens of girls coursed down the path, and so I checked with their teachers, and including them in the line-up, we got our photo of me with the schoolgirls holding the “Peace with Iran” banner.

The next morning our first stop was The Bird Park. We delegates stood together as Said bought the tickets for us. Bill said: “Look over there.. Aren’t those the same girls?” I turned and there they were, giggling and waving at me. I went over and said a few hellos, and shook some outstretched hands. I wrote down the website for FOR and said, “This will tell you the story of our trip.” Said came over and gently extracted me, saying that we had to get going. I hope I will hear from them.

 

Bill Gillen wrote the following piece on an inspiring initiative called Miles for Peace, which to many FOR supporters will evoke good memories of the lengthy North American visit of Nasim Yousefi and Jafar Edrisi.. That energetic young Iranian couple spent more than ten months in 2007-08 bicycling across the U.S. to talk with people in our country about peace and environmental sustainability.

A meeting with members of the charity organization Mercy for All stands out for the friendly exchanges with the group, most of whom were in their 20s and 30s. As we entered the room for the meeting, we noticed someone had written on a whiteboard above the conference table: "Ann, David, Louis, Jack, William and Max, Welcome to Iran! Miles for Peace."

Miles for Peace is a project of the charity (Rahmat in Farsi) that was started in the 1980s. Its goal is to help poor families, many of them headed by a single parent, achieve independence. Rahmat members work one-on-one with about 100 families at a time. The organization has no paid staff and spends all the financial aid it receives on the poor and needy.

Miles for Peace sent 14 cyclists from Tehran across Europe and the United States for 70 days in the spring of 2007. They attracted much media attention and met with government officials in all the countries they visited, including Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut  and Rep. Gary Ackerman of New York in Washington. They conveyed the Iranian people's message of "peace, friendship and peaceful co-existence with all other nations."

Dr. Ali Nikjoo, a supporter of the charity, delivered an eloquent address on the implications of the relationship between the United States and Iran. He said, in part, "Unfortunately, the United States has suffocated democracy in parts of Iran. In our collective memory, our government (a reference to the events of 1953) was toppled, Saddam with the support of the United States attacked Iran. These events caused a stalemate for democracy for many decades. In times of war, it's hard to develop the foundation of democracy and build civil institutions."

Nonetheless, he said he hopes that President Obama will remain true to his promises and believes that Obama "places great value on the humanity of people." He continued, "The pressure exerted by the United States affects people. We live with great hardship. Problems such as unemployment and drug addiction threaten our wellbeing. The U.S. war machine can cause problems for Iran and all the world."

He concluded, "We are Iranians and Muslim and want to remain Iranians and Muslims."

Later that day we met with several other activists who are working to instill a peace culture in their society. They teach families, including children and teenagers, how to use nonviolent means to resolve conflict. The government funds some nonprofits and the Tehran City Council has supported some programs, too. A psychologist working with children said teachers are interested in spreading the message about nonviolent behavior. Some libraries in rural areas were also interested in such programs. What was impressive to us was the dedication and enthusiasm all these peace workers brought to their chosen field.

 

Jack Schultz wrote the following essay, looking at the nature of American exceptionalism:

During our delegation's visit, underneath the friendliness, the warm welcomes, and appreciation of America, sometimes one could hear a muted concern that once more Iran might be attacked openly or covertly. A spokesman told me of what was ostensibly a visit from a United States' NGO representative who — rather than being on a humanitarian mission — encouraged resistance to the Iranian government.

However, I think that generally FOR has developed trust. it was accepted at face value that, no matter what our private opinions might be, our group had no such intentions but rather wished only to do what we could to foster dialogue and reduce tensions between our countries. But there was some wariness — certainly justified in light of past history.

Notable also was Iran's interest in and reliance on poetry — people on the street could quote and critique verses by Hafiz and Sadi as easily as the latest soccer scores.

In trying to learn some Farsi before the trip I had come across the poems of Hafiz and was astounded by their beauty and insight. Hafiz often used a poetic form called "ghazal." I even tried my hand at a verse about the immediacy of God — inspired by Hafiz.

It seemed necessary often to reassure our hosts that FOR, and we as its representatives, act in as in non-partisan way as we can. Further, as so many others have remarked, one of the most important things to Iranians (as to all of us) is to be treated with respect. It is something our country often does not do well.

So, in order to speed up some of the assurances of peace between our choirs, I made the following verse — trying for the ghazal form. Said and Ali helped me translate it. Halting attempts to recite it to our hosts in Farsi seemed much appreciated.

                  Patriotism
We have not come to help Iran.
Iran does not need food, nor clothes, nor instruction — from us.

We have come instead to defend our country.
Not from Iran –
But from itself.

 

Today's news from Capitol Hill highlights an issue of deep concern to those who seek to build stronger relationships between the United States and Iran. Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) submitted a proposed amendment to a bill on an omnibus appropriations bill in the Senate. The amendment would prohibit all U.S. agencies from doing business with companies with any business ties to Iran's energy sector. The Friends Committee on National Legislation argued in a summary of a letter that FCNL faxed to every U.S. senator last night:

"Taking action to further cripple Iran's already taxed energy sector punishes the Iranian peopl. More hostile and draconian sanctions undermine the potential for a diplomatic solution to Iran's contested nuclear program and other peace and security concerns."
  

Nationalistic flag-waving is often an issue in our own country, but we are not alone. Bill Gillen, a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation's ninth delegation to Iran, which returned to the U.S. this Tuesday, sent the following reflection on the trip:

When you visit a foreign country, especially one with world-famous historic and religious sites, you often see the flags of many countries, including that of the United States, flying in public places. But not in Iran. No, not at tourist hotels or anywhere else. Yet everywhere you go people are friendly and tell you how much they like Americans. Many of them have relatives in the United States, they say.

The one U.S. flag our peace delegation saw in our 12-day trip throughout Iran was a small one on a conference table in a temporary office of the Tehran Peace Museum, where we met with its staff and some volunteers. The other flags displayed on that table were those of the United Nations (did you know that the United States and Iran joined the U.N. on the same day in October 1945?) and Japan, a country whose own peace museum inspired Tehran's.

The museum grew out of the Society for Chemical Weapons Victims Support, an NGO established in 2002 to help the survivors of the attacks by Iraqi forces during the eight-year war between the two countries. A majority of the society members are victims of those chemical attacks. On the day we visited there was an evident feeling of sadness; one member and active volunteer had died that day of his war-related injuries. Now the veterans have decided that peace education will be the focus of the museum undergoing renovation in a historic city park. It's expected to open this summer.

The Tehran museum has a close connection with Japanese survivors of the U.S. atomic bomb attacks at the end of World War II and was founded after a visit in 2004 to the Hiroshima Peace Museum. The survivors of the horrors of war in both countries have turned their attention not to revenge but to the need for seeking peace. In the words of one veteran we met, "We were victimized by war and want peace." A second vet, who was injured at age 15 in 1982, said, "Once we had to defend our country. Now our job is to promote peace."

They want to share with younger people their experiences and how war has affected their lives. They told us it's not easy to speak about the effects of their injuries, both physical and social, on themselves and their families. The government estimates that more than 500,000 Iranians, war veterans and civilians both, still suffer from war injuries, including tens of thousands with long-term health effects from exposure to chemical weapons.

The Iranians want to bring their message about the horrors of war to a wider audience, to Western nations. In May 2008 a group of two veterans and two doctors toured the United States. The group Physicians for Social Responsibility sponsored them. "We reached a wide audience, scientists, universities, churches," said Dr. Shahriar Khateri, director of the museum. "We consider the trip a success in reaching the American public."

Here's an update from our delegation leader David Hartsough:

Father Louie Vitale and I met with a group of Iranian war veterans from the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88) and a delegation from Hiroshima, Japan. Some of the vets had lost their legs; many had been attacked by the chemical weapons used by Saddam Hussein against the Iranians and have been suffering the consequences ever since.

There were widows who had lost their husbands, men who could barely see with one eye, people who could not breathe when someone started to smoke, and many from Hiroshima who had lost so many of their relatives and loved ones.
  

What was so powerful was that no one in the room spoke of revenge. Rather, they spoke of the need to create a world where weapons of mass destruction are never used again so others will never have to suffer the pain and tragedy they have suffered.

A man who lost his legs to the war said, “We need to build a world where there will never again be war. Especially in an age when the large majority of casualties of war are civilians, we HAVE to find peaceful means to resolve conflicts. In the 21st century, war is NOT acceptable by any nation.”  Obviously, he was not only speaking of peace as an intellectual or moral concern, but as a heart-felt call to the world to end the monstrosity of war.

Contrary to the image many in the U.S. have of Iranians as terrorists running around with missiles in their pockets and threatening other people and other countries, we have found almost every Iranian we have met having a passionate desire for peace. What we have heard over and over again is that Iran has not attacked any other country in over two thousand years, but they will defend themselves if attacked. But their overwhelming and deep desire and concern is for living in peace – with their neighbors and with all countries – including the United States.

I hope all people reading this blog will contact President Obama and their Members of Congress and encourage them to move away from confrontation and threats against Iran and to a commitment to resolve all our differences through diplomacy, negotiation and real respect for one another.

We have felt the rich history and culture of Iran in so many ways – thousands of years of history and culture and for this young nation, the USA, to treat Iran like a naughty child who will be punished if he does not behave properly – according to the relatively newcomer nation, the USA is deeply resented by the people of Iran.

Real peace must grow out of mutual respect and a commitment to resolve all differences by peaceful means. May we all learn from the survivors of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb and the veterans of the Iran-Iraq war, that rather than revenge, we must recommit ourselves to finding peaceful means to resolve conflict and ending all war – for our children and all the world’s children.

- Tehran, Iran, March 2, 2009

Submitted by Ethan Vesely-Flad on February 28, 2009

Several more reports have arrived in the past 48 hours from the Fellowship of Reconciliation's 9th civilian diplomacy delegation to Iran. Earlier this week, the group flew south from Iran to Shiraz, and they have since traveled to the ancient, mighty ruins of Persepolis as well as the gorgeous city of Esfahan. Delegation leader David Hartsough wrote two short reflections from this city of rivers, known to all Iranians as "half the world." His first, "Don't Bring Your Guns," is both a humorous and political commentary:

Walking along a path in Esfahan with shops on either side selling handmade crafts and fabrics, a man came out from one of the shops to meet us, and asked, “Where are you from?” When we answered, "America," he smiled and said, “Welcome to Iran! We are very glad to have you here! We would like many more people to come visit us from America. But don’t bring your guns!”

Yes, we need many more Americans coming to Iran — and many more Iranians coming to the U.S. — so we can get to know one another, understand one another, and gain a greater appreciation of one another as people, and learn each other’s culture, history, and viewpoints. And the more of us who visit one another’s countries, and come home and share our experiences and the stories of some of the beautiful people we have met, the more Americans will encourage our political leaders to truly engage in diplomacy and negotiations and leave the guns and threats of war and violence at  home – or even better, in the dustbins of history.

David's second message is a spiritual one, titled "We Are All Children of One God":

I was walking  by a children’s playground in a park in Esfahan wearing a tee-shirt with the words inscribed on the front, PEACE WITH IRAN – in Farsi and English.

A man came up to me with a big smile and said, "Thank you for your message. We are all children of one God under one sky on the same earth. We need to see ourselves as brothers and sisters and friends, not as Iranians or Americans or Muslims or Christians – or enemies." My new friend was named Hamid and turned out to be a fireman at the airport in Shiraz on holiday with his family in Esfahan.

Hamid continued, "We need to teach our children the culture of peace – where we learn to love and respect one another. All religions teach us to love one another. We all need to practice our religious teachings and love one another."

He talked of the influence of Sufis and of the poet Hafez, and I encouraged him to read some of Mahatma Gandhi. His family came over from the playground and I felt deep love and reaching out the humanity in each other. I took a picture of Hamid with his family and they took one of me with Hamid. Our encounter was brief, but we experienced  a deep brotherly feeling between us and we touched one another’s souls! I wish everyone could have this kind of experience across the barriers of nationality and religion and enmity by our governments, and discover our common humanity!

Jack Schultz of Santa Cruz, California sent his first piece as well, titled "Faces":

In the cities we have visited so far most of the women wear the traditional "chador." Much like the traditional nun's garb, the voluminous and far from form-fitting black gowns conceal all but the face and hands — providing no other clues as to woman's appearance.

Of course it is impolite to stare — and even more serious here where absolute modesty is a legal requirement. As a consequence, both men and women must rely on the surreptitous glimpse.

I cannot speak for womanly skills, but I have seen that Iranian men have also become masters of the accidental glance. Visitors quickly become equally accomplished.

Ann Morrell, our most dedicated correspondent, also wrote a commentary about gender separation, in the context of the hijab that women are required to wear, and other clothing. Here is "The Scarf":

I have supported myself since finishing graduate school in 1970, and am the sole woman on this delegation, travelling with five splendid American men, including my husband. Nothing here fascinates me more than impact on women’s lives of living under the scarf and the veil. Early in our tour, our debonair chief tour guide Mr. Mardom explained that according to Islam, women should be covered so that men do not look at their bodies but instead evaluate them as human beings.

On Monday, at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary art, I enjoyed looking at the paintings and sculpture, but more absorbing was the chance discreetly to survey the people in the galleries. Naturally all women had on scarves of some description. Some beautiful young women have carefully arranged little bouffant poufs of hair visible before the scarf starts. Some sport jeans and a tight fitting top that nearly reaches the knees, just fulfilling the required coverage. Many are either in a full chador, or draped in yards of black fabric. The black fabric can have lace trim, and is often woven with a lovely black on black pattern. I was of course wearing a scarf myself, observing the national law.

There were several couples in the galleries, and a few men, but the majority of viewers were women. I surreptitiously studied them as they viewed the exhibit, and stood for a long time watching the four women who, along with a couple of men, were sitting at easels painting in a hallway near a big window. The women painters were mostly painting portraits of women. As I roamed the museum, I took pictures of a painting here and some calligraphy there, but most focused on a woman in the frame looking at the art.

Sometimes my eyes would meet those of another woman, and we exchanged a few smiles. Two girls stopped and asked me a question, and I had to shrug and say in English, I’m sorry, I don’t understand Farsi

That evening, we went to the offices of Miles for Peace. This is a wonderful project under the auspices of a government authorized nonprofit, Mercy for All, and the Foreign Ministry had made the appointment for us. We saw a movie of their 70-day bicycle tour around Europe and the United States, staging press conferences and talking with everyone they met about how Iranians want friendship with Americans. We were fed divine pastries and tea, and heard from an athlete about his plan to swim the breadth of the Persian Gulf as a statement for peace.

The most telling moment for me was when we first climbed the steps and walked into the suite of offices. There were over twenty people waiting for us, all of them bidding us welcome. About half were women, flashing such open, intimate smiles to me and taking my hand to say “You are welcome. Thank you for coming to Iran.” My heart swelled from the warmth extended to me. I feel as if the scarf is creating a shared experience and intimacy among women. Don’t tell the authorities, but Sisterhood is Powerful.

Ann's husband, Bill Gillen, also sent an essay, titled "Conversations":

After a week in Iran, an American visitor recognizes a pattern of conversation in chance encounters with Iranians. An older man sees our group and asks, “Where are you from?”  After we tell him, he replies, “Welcome.” Another day a student spots us and spontaneously says, “Welcome.” We thank him. He then asks where we’re from. A third variation registered in Esfahan. A tall young man walking with two friends says, as he passes us, “Welcome. I hope you enjoy our city.” We called down the street, “Thanks.” Then there was the young man in a crowd at a busy intersection. Without any prompting, he said, “The most dangerous thing in Iran in the traffic. Be careful.” He’s right, and we have been following his advice.