GCD

We were so pleased to find FOR featured in this month's Yes! magazine in a feature about "DIY Foreign Policy Heroes."

Yes! published a photo (without credit) of members of our December Iran delegation, but did give us credit for being "Citizen Ambassadors" in this short piece:

One of the first transactions with our travel agent in Tehran was to receive a cell phone to maintain access to his offices as we traveled and to be able to speak with the home offices of FOR at the end of each day’s activities. Global communications are magical, but they are not magic. It is nice when a plan comes together, but it doesn’t always come together. The telephone was a mixed blessing.

[Editor's Note: Iran peace delegation member David Drake of Des Moines, Iowa, sent the following reflection from Tehran, as he and the delegation prepared to head to Imam Khomeini International Airport on Saturday evening, December 15th.]

Dear friends and family -- it's 10:30 p.m. here -- 8 1/2 hrs later than my home in Iowa.

Friday Prayers at Tehran University: Photo by Daniel Smith

Friday prayers at Tehran University’s converted, covered football (soccer) stadium places us at the heart of the intersection between Iran’s public and its political and religious leadership. There would be few places in American society where Church and State, politics and society, preaching and teaching would be so closely linked since the pre-revolutionary days of the 16th and 17th Centuries, when the Puritan pulpit would have played a similar role of defining values, creating cohesion, and admonishing adherence.

Poster by Tehrani artist Behrad Javanbakht

Graphic designer Daniel Smith of Seattle, Washington, shares the following report of a creative conversation he is pursuing with artistic colleagues in Iran. FOR's 5th peace delegation to Iran are finding creative ways to engage in dialogue and build relationships with professional peers, despite the political walls being erected by their two governments.

Solidarity with the Iranian people in words and deeds is a fundamental goal of this trip. Meeting Iranians throughout the city of Tehran has been enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable. They are open, honest, warm and invariably accepting of Americans. They are excited to see that we are truly interested in them, a valuable antidote to the political rhetoric from the States on which the Iranian media focuses.

The revered spiritual leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, is the subject of this reflection piece by Iran peace delegation member Barbara Spring of Albany, NY:

The Fellowship of Reconciliation's fifth peace delegation to Iran has now arrived in the city of Shiraz, considered by many to be jewel of classical Islamic culture as well as the seat of the ancient Persian pre-Islamic civilization. As the delegation concluded its first few days, spent in Tehran, one delegation member, Rick Zand, was afforded an unusual opportunity to meet with Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi and a group of 20 Iranian women.

FOR's latest Peace Delegation recently returned from Iran on December 15th. Many participants are still gathering thoughts and posting photos. Check back here for more updates and see their reflections collected at forpeace.net/tag/iran.

My colleagues have been working hard for the last few months to organize a training for activists who want to more effectively influence legislation. Here's the info:

On Sunday and Monday, Nov. 4-5, in Washington, D.C., FOR will host an advocacy skills training for people interested or engaged in grassroots civilian diplomacy. This training opportunity will feature several members of FOR's program staff as well as participants in various international peace delegations and nonviolence programs.

The flyer be downloaded as a PDF here, and you can download the registration form here.

The U.S. Is Threatening to Bomb Iran: We Need to Act Now

What Can YOU Do to Make a Difference?

“Grassroots Civilian Diplomacy: Activists in the Halls of Power”
Two-Day Training on Advocacy for Demilitarization
Presented by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) and Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB)