Iranian bikers for peace

Posted November 30th, 2007 by Ethan Vesely-Flad
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At the same time as the Fellowship of Reconciliation is preparing for tomorrow's departure of our 5th peace delegation to Iran, we are involved with hosting Iranian peacemakers here in the United States. I just received a phone call from an Iranian woman named Nasim. She and her partner Jafar are bicycling around the world, focused on spreading a message of care for the earth and for one another.

Iranian bikers in Montreal After bicycling through Europe over several weeks this summer and early fall, Nasim and Jafar arrived in Canada at the end of September. They spent several weeks biking through that country and speaking to groups about their concern for environmental conservation.

Earlier this month, they crossed the border into the United States. Last week, they were hosted in Albany by Leila Zand, FOR's Iran program coordinator. A couple days ago, Nasim and Jafar began biking south along the Hudson River.

They arrived yesterday in Rifton, where they were hosted by Andrew & Priscilla Zimmerman, a young couple who are part of a Bruderhof community in that mid-Hudson region near New Paltz, NY. Early this morning, Nasim & Jafar got back on their bikes to head south again, seeking to get to FOR's headquarters in Nyack by nightfall. Andrew sent the following email shortly after their departure:

Hello All,

Thought you might be interested in an update on Nasim and Jafar, the young Iranian couple biking around the world. (See http://www.rmc4peace.com/)

My wife Priscilla and I were in Iran with FOR in March 2007, and are the same age as Nasim and Jafar, so we offered to host them here at our Woodcrest Community in New York (formerly known as the Bruderhof, for those who are familiar with that). They arrived tired but in good spirits on Wednesday evening, having pedaled about 60 miles from Leila's place near Albany.

We had an excellent evening with them, eating dinner with our community of 200 people. On Thursday morning they visited our school, speaking all 8 classes (1st through 8th grade) - they really got along well with the children, teaching Farsi phrases, showing the kids how to write their names in Farsi script, and receiving a lot of pictures and letters to take home to Iranian children.

At noon on Thursday our community gathered for a tree planting ceremony, as Nasim and Jafar like to plant "trees for peace" and hope to leave a "green circle" of peace trees in their wake, around the globe. We planted a beautiful crabapple which will flower next spring. We counted citizens of 8 or 10 nations in the crowd. It is their 13th tree of peace they've planted on their journey, and the first one in the USA. We decided in this case, 13 is a good omen, not bad!

After breakfast this morning, they headed off at 8am for FOR offices in Nyack, another 70 miles south of us, where they will stay tonight. They have already cycled about 4,000 miles, and plan another 8,000 to 10,000 miles before they reach Iran again.

Nasim and Jafar are wonderful people, and should any Iran delegates get the chance, please show them hospitality! They sleep in tents when they don't get offered a room, so if anyone can, let's return some of the hospitality we all experienced in Iran. Their tentative route is south to Florida, then west to California, then north to Vancouver, over the next 6-8 months. Contact Leila Zand for more details.

Hope you are all well, and best wishes for the coming Christmas season.

In Peace,
Andrew and Priscilla Zimmerman

If you would be interested in hosting Nasim & Jafar, please contact them via email or contact Leila Zand. They plan to spend about 10 days in the New York City, from approximately December 2-12, and then another 10 days or so in the Washington, DC area, from around December 15-25.

Iranian cyclists 4Peace and Conservation of the Environment

On February 12th, 2008 Lib Hutchby (not verified) said:

Dear Ethan,

As Nasim and Jafar experience their second night in South Carolina, my guess is that all North Carolinians who have met and participated in their dream and incredible journey are still highly energized. Besides their remarkable stamina, we found Jafar and Nasim to be gifted artists, photographers, teachers, historians, wildlife enthusiasts, conservationists, and wonderful new peace-making friends. As they traveled South on Hwy. 17, they stayed in Merry Hill, Chocowintity, New Bern, Surf City, and Wilmington. In Hubert (near Swansboro), they planted a water oak at the Possumwood Acres Wildlife Santuary for injured birds and other injured wildlife, directed by Toni Oneil. In Surf City, they planted an Eastern Red Cedar and a Live Oak at the Soundside Park, one of three public parks on Topsail Island. Kristi Grubbs, Director of Parks and Recreation, assisted with the arrangements and ended up enthusiastically participating in the tree-planting. Topsail Voice reporter was called away to cover a house fire and flexibility was an essential. The next day, while at Topsail Beach, Jean Beasley gave them a tour of the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital, the only hospital solely dedicated to sea turtle healing on the East Coast. Twas a moving experience to understand the need North Carolina fishermen to stop using gill nets. Everyone congratulated Jean upon her receiving the Animal Planet's Hero of the Year Award for 2008.

Continuing, the next day, in Wilmington, they planted a Weeping Snow Flake Cherry at the Church of the Servant Episcopalian church, coordinated by Riley Walker, who works with Episcopal Campus Ministry at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW). Those of us who hosted have memories galore, "adventures" included. The temperatures were unseasonaly warm, making for gorgeous days on the beach, but Winnie-the-Pooh blustery days on the road.

Just a couple of stories and I'll hush . . .
1. On Saturday morning, I sat with the trees in the park offering them water and worrying about who was going to take care of the trees when I went home, since no organization had adopted them . . .yet. Along came a man walking his dog. When I asked him if he lived there year-round, he replied, "Yes." I then explained that I did not live at Surf City year round and needed someone to water the trees. I told him part of the story. He said, "I can do that."

Thrilled, I ran to get my notebook and pen to get his name and contact information. He turns out to be an emloyee of the Surf City Public Works Department.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of trees," he said, as I was filled with gratitude.

2. In Wilmington, a group of all ages gathered around for the ceremony. After a parishner prayed "to God who has many names," a toddler named Matthew came forward with his sand shovel he had brought to plant "peace trees." It was a sweet moment as we watched while Nasim and Jafar dug the hole and Matthew and his sister "assisted" by digging together. Then all the other participants put their hands around the tree for peace, lowering it into its place for growing.

Thanks again, Ethan and Tom for asking us to host. The inspiration offered by Nasim and Jafar has strenghtened my grip on hope. They are truly a gift from God "for whom there are many names."
Peace,
Lib Hutchby
2/11/08

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