First day in Iran: meeting with Archbishop Sarkissian

The following update was just received Susan Mark Landis, a member of our Iran peace delegation.

"But our countries are enemies!" a man I met in the aisle of the plane said to me. I explained friendship, citizenship, grassroots diplomacy. He agreed--it is not the people who are enemies, it is the government. I added that I hope I have the chance to help people in the United States learn more about the people of Iran, and then these people will work for peace between our countries. "It is very good," he said.

The woman across the aisle said, "Iran is very beautiful, not like the news tells you. You will have a wonderful time."

As the wheels of the plane emerged, the announcement came, "Law in the Republic of Iran is for women to wear headscarves. For your safety we suggest you put on your headscarf now."

Our trip was uneventful. We needed to give all ten fingerprints on entry, a reaction to stricter requirements for entry to the United States post 9/11. Somehow, the paperwork for the 18 of us--putting the fingerprints and our passports and visas all together--took almost two hours, from about 2-4 am, while our guide waited. Only then did we find out that our visas had not been completed until Tuesday morning, in D.C., the day of our departure from New York. Still we have almost no itinerary.

Morteza Chavooshi is our official guide, from the Department of Interfiath Dialogue, a government agency. He waited hours for us at the airport. We boarded a yellow bus--which looked like a submarine--and our luggage followed in an almost-turquoise blue truck. The best part of our arrival at our hotel in Tehran--after an hour-and-a-half bumpy bus ride when it was impossible to rest one's head on the seat--was the immediate offering of an orange juice box.

We rested from about 6 am until 9, and then had some breakfast at the hotel Hoveizeh buffet--an egg/tomato dish, breads and pastries, yogurt, dates. Tomatoes and cucumbers were also available.

Our brief rest was because of a meeting with Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian, Primate of the Armenian Prelacy of Tehran. After Ethan introduced our group, the archbishop said, "I think I met with some of you before--Cindy from Jordon" I mentioned that perhaps he meant Cindy Byler, with MCC in Jordan. He gave us an institutional-type talk--we have this many people, this many dioceses, etc., but the best part was talking about interfaith dialog between Armenian Christians and Moslems in Iran. Some of his thoughts:

"Peace in the Middle East has nothing to do with religion. It is all politics and the existence of Israel. If it had to do with religion, wars would not happen, because religions call for peace, but states have other interests and have closed their ears to the call of religion. The Bush administration is playing a tragic role, bringing war and hatred. If countries were concerned about peace, they would take into account the needs of the people of the region. But Iraq has become another Vietnam for the United States.

"But there will never be peace unless there is peace among religions. We need to put aside political issues and look at humanitarian issues. When we are moved by political interests, it is difficult to do anything. We are trying to convince leaders to use only weapons of love and understanding, not bombs. I must see myself in you and you must see yourself in me. Sincere and faithful prayer is transforming prayer. [And here, for the first time, he mentioned faith in Jesus] Jesus, through his prayer, transformed the world. We need to pray and be patient and do it constantly. Weapons have never brought people together. Problems have to be solved at the tables, not the battlefields.

"Let us show through our daily lives that Jesus has taught us to love each other. Show then through dialogue that I am really different from others.

We asked what Archbishop Sarkissian would like us to take back to the United States.

1. Tell people that who we are here--Christian, Moslem, Jew, and the context in which we live and work, is not an easy context.

2. I am deeply convinced in the power of prayer--we must pray for each other, for transforming power.

3. If there are ways and means, we appreciate support for our local church--materials, financial aid for education and charity programs, etc.

After the Archbishop Sarkissian spoke, I was delighted to present a Mennonite Church USA peace lamp, telling him that our congregations are praying for peace between us. He blessed us, in ancient Aramaic and we looked around the church.

Now we are resting a bit before a trip to the bazaar. I think if I sleep, I won't sleep tonight, but I'll get some lunch and rest a bit. We had a brisk walk to the church this morning. The side walk is a bit uneven with holes in the roads for drainage, but despite our exhaustion, no one twisted an ankle, although three of us were too tired to come along. My health and breathing in the pollution of Tehran is okay. Thanks for your prayers!

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Susan Mark Landis