With Obama’s election, there have been whispers of talks between the U.S. and Iran. But it will take a lot of talking to defuse the destructive tension mounting between the nations. Secretary of State Clinton said we could “obliterate” Iran; Ahmadinejad said the “regime occupying Israel should vanish from the page of time;” our ally Israel continues to bomb Gaza.
Amidst these convoluted relations and the atmosphere of fear that colors the narrative about the Middle East, a group of 14 average citizens took a trip to Iran in order to create real relationships.
Rae Abileah, a local groups coordinator for CODEPINK out of San Francisco, called the trip a jihad in an effort to recast the word’s use. “Jihad simply means spiritual pilgrimage,” she explained. “Words like ‘jihad’ have been misused, or used out of context, by U.S. mainstream media and the former Bush administration and Republican party to take on whole other definitions.” The intention of these citizen diplomacy missions is to recast the mainstream narrative of the Middle East, defining it in terms of peace rather than war.
The mission, sponsored by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, consisted of Jews and Christians, university students and retirees, activists and rabbis. They explored mosques, temples, bazaars, and ancient ruins, amid a backdrop of chalky mountains and sandy cities.
But most importantly, the group members spent time talking to real citizens. Through Farsi interpreters and non-verbal communication, the delegation attempted to “find common humanity within poisoned social contexts,” said Rabbi Rosen Brant, from the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation of Evanston.
Describing life there, Abileah’s overriding notion is that Iran is a “tale of two cities:” one out in the streets, and one behind closed doors. This is particularly true for young people and women.
Upon entering Iranian airspace, women on the trip wrapped themselves in their hijabs. Because Iran is an Islamic Republic under the control of a Supreme Leader who functions both religiously and politically, women are required to wear some form of the hijab in public, but the degree to which the head is covered is left up to the individuals.
“Honestly, I didn’t feel a Western righteousness or anger around wearing head covering,” Abileah said. “I figure ‘when in Rome…’ when it comes to something that is not physically harmful…. We learned to poof our bangs and hair in the front in the hip style of the young women in Tehran.”
Beyond hidden hair, women are furthermore disbarred from singing in public and are almost always separated from men in public.
Despite these restrictions, Rabbi Brant noted that the many Iranians, including those who are not Muslim, enjoy living in a country that “moves to a religious rhythm.”
The citizen diplomats extensively explored numerous mosques, including the beautiful mirrored mosque in Shiraz, and met with leaders of the Jewish community in Iran, which numbers approximately 20,000 and is represented by one member of parliament. According to the Iranian constitution, a population of 500,000 is needed to gain representation in the parliament (also known as the Majilis of Iran), but an exception was made for religious minorities like the Jews, Zoroastrians, Catholics, and Armenians.
The delegation generally refrained from speaking substantially about politics. “Once you raise the issues, you stand in judgment,” Rabbi Rosen said. But when they did touch upon the subject the perspective was invaluable.
The United States’ storied relationships with countries of the Middle East, particularly our alliance with Israel, weighs heavily on the minds of Iranian citizens. The history of our interactions with the area are not widely known among the American populace; for example, the 1988 U.S. attack on civilian Iran Air Flight 655, which killed all 290 on board, including 66 children. Not only has the U.S. failed to apologize for accidentally shooting down the airbus, but many citizens are not even aware of the event.
Not to say the void in cultural understanding rests with Americans alone. Restrictions on freedom, an idea so distinctly and loudly rejected by Americans, is a habit of life in Iran. Besides the restrictions on women, there are other violations of liberty. Alcohol, forbidden by the Koran, is forbidden by the Iranian government; Facebook is banned within the city limits of Tehran; protests that Iranian NGO Mothers for Peace planned against the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq were forbidden; public hangings still happen regularly. But even the most egregious of human rights violations should be solved by Iranians, as Rabbi Rosen points out.
Agreeing that aggressive U.S. military or economic policy will not positively effect the country’s political or social atmosphere, Abileah says “This kind of external pressure and threat will allow more fundamentalist leaders to rise to power in Iran, and nationalism, rather than internal social change movements, will prevail.”
Abileah emphasizes the need for Americans to educate themselves on life in Iran and ignore the “saber-rattling hype.” CODEPINK will launch a Winds of Change campaign soon, in which American citizens will be able to invest in an Iranian wind power company for just $5 a share. “This act defies U.S. sanctions, supports alternative energy in Iran, and fosters peace and friendship between our two countries,” she says.
Speaking about her experience now that she’s returned to the U.S. has shed more light on the intercultural tensions for Abileah. One woman in New York City thought her oft-repeated slogan, “Peace With Iran,” was wildly idealistic. Instead of arguing with the woman, Abileah listened and acknowledged, a vastly important skill she fostered while in Iran. By learning this skill, we can all progress toward understanding.
For a complete look at the delegation’s trip, see Rae’s two-part blog and Flickr page, as well as Rabbi Brant’s blog.
Editor’s note: Abileah’s quote “Jihad simply means ‘spiritual pilgrimage’” may be terminologically misleading. ‘Jihad’ does mean struggle. Abileah’s usage is more akin to a ‘great jihad’ or spiritual jihad, that of the inner struggle toward improvement. She wrote, “We are on a jihad ~ which means that we are going to a conflict[ed] region and seeking to transform our perception of it into a field of compassion, a spiritual journey to deepen our understanding…”
Paul M Davis
9 Comments
Fhar Miess
Uhh, no, jihad does NOT mean a “spiritual pilgrimage”. That word is hajj. Jihad simply means struggle or battle. The hajj can be performed as part of the “Greater Jihad” (the jihad of the soul), but they are by no means the same thing. If you’re going to go around correcting skewed media usages of the term, you should at least know what the correct (or at least native) usage is. can mean either violent or non-violent struggle, but it always has a religious denotation or connotation and it has nothing at all—unlike its Occidental twin, “crusade”—to do with pilgrimage. Secular groups, armed or not, use a different term: nidaal.
But this only begins to express the problems I have with this piece. The situation calls for more than just talking and listening and dialogue, although that won’t hurt. What it calls for is for the US to end its relationship with Israel, “special” or otherwise, and stop funding and arming their fascist Zionist policies. It might also help if the US military weren’t occupying countries along most of Iran’s borders.
24 Feb 2009 01:02 pm
Ruby Sinreich
Thank you for this lovely article! Folks can learn more about the delegation you describe at the Fellowship of Reconciliation blog: http://FORpeace.net/tag/december-2008-iran-delegation. And more pictures are at http://www.flickr.com/groups/FORiran.
We have another delegation traveling in Iran right now, and their updates are being posted at http://forpeace.net/tag/february-2009-iran-delegation.
24 Feb 2009 08:02 pm
Rae Abileah
Thank you Michelle for this excellent article about our interfaith peace delegation to Iran!
And thanks to Fhar who commented making the distinction between jihad and hajj — a very important clarification of terms.
I also agree that the situation of foreign relations between the US and Iran needs more than dialogue, but talking is an important place to start towards fostering friendship, not fear. Major changes in US military occupation in the region also must be made (namely a full troop withdrawal from Iraq, real assistance – not armed soldiers – in Afghanistan, humanitarian aid to Gaza, an end to the illegal use of US weapons by Israel in the occupied territories, and the list goes on…)
A US military intervention in Iran will only foster fundamentalism and violence, not democracy or justice.
The time is ripe for talks.
25 Feb 2009 04:02 pm
Kelsey
I do not have vast knowledge on the topic of Iran/U.S. relations, but I really enjoyed this article. Surely our problems would not be solved solely by talking, but I think it is a very good start. I find what the visiting group did to be extremely interesting and this article highlights a big issue…Americans do not fully grasp the lifestyle lived in Iran. Getting to know one another would definitely help everyone.
26 Feb 2009 05:02 pm
Laura
It’s a step in the right direction to have thoughtful and open-minded US citizens representing our country abroad. I’m glad to hear of programs such as this. A good read; thank you!
01 Mar 2009 09:03 pm
Michelle
Thanks for the comments everyone!
The Dept. of State has a blog (who knew?) and after Sec. Clinton’s trip to the Middle East, she asked this question:
How best can women’s rights be expanded internationally?
Check it out here: http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/q_womens_rights/ and feel free to comment!
07 Mar 2009 03:03 pm
Fhar Miess
On the occasion of International Womens’ Day, a little history of the emancipatory struggle in Iran:
http://de.stopthebomb.net/en/start/germany/march-3-1979-in-iran.html
08 Mar 2009 01:03 pm
Alison
I really don’t know much about this topic, but the article is outstanding. Well written and extremely informative. Michelle Stoffel is my hero
08 May 2009 11:05 am
PB
I do not have vast knowledge on the topic of Iran/U.S. relations, but I really enjoyed this article. Surely our problems would not be solved solely by talking, but I think it is a very good start. I find what the visiting group did to be extremely interesting and this article highlights a big issue…Americans do not fully grasp the lifestyle lived in Iran. Getting to know one another would definitely help everyone.
26 May 2009 11:05 pm
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