Iran's nuclear ambitions & a meeting with religious leaders

Earlier this week, the Fellowship of Reconciliation's sixth civilian diplomacy delegation to Iran returned safely to the United States. The delegation was composed of 13 U.S. citizens and one U.K. resident, including a contributing editor to several leading international magazines, a research analyst at a major think tank in Washington DC, religious leaders, educators, writers, and others.

Last Sunday, March 9th, the delegation participated in a day-long conference in Tehran titled, "International Conference on Iran’s Peaceful Nuclear Program and Activities: Modality of Cooperation with the IAEA." One of the speakers was Jonathan Granoff, president of the U.S.-based Global Security Institute. Granoff and GSI issued his report on the conference today, and referenced the participation of FOR's delegation.

Two members of the delegation, the Rev. Ellen Francis Poisson (co-leader) and the Rev. Stephen Chinlund, were also interviewed by the Iranian news agency IRNA. Speaking about the economic sanctions placed on Iran by the United States, Poisson reportedly stated, "I think the sanctions are very, very unfortunate because of a lot of difficulties (they create), and they do no good in developing relations." Chinlund spoke about his impressions of Iran as a first-time visitor, and IRNA summarized his comments as follows: "He said that during two weeks of his stay in Iran he has been impressed by Iran's insistence on love, compassion and justice and patience."

The first report from the delegation, written by Sister Ellen Francis Poisson and concerning religious reflections on the trip, is posted below, following the list of members of the delegation. Members of the February-March delegation are:

• Patricia Abbott, Newcastle, United Kingdom -- a youth worker in England who served for two years on FOR's human rights accompaniment team in war-torn Colombia
• Larry Beinhart, Woodstock, NY -- a writer, primarily of fiction. His books have received numerous award in the U.S. and Europe.
• Carol Borelli, New York, NY -- an artist and teacher at a Connecticut primary/middle school.
• Caroline Chinlund, New York, NY -- a retired psychotherapist and an active advocate in the Granny Peace Brigade.
• The Rev. Stephen Chinlund, New York, NY -- the former CEO of Episcopal Social Services of New York City, and the co-founder of a sister city relationship between Newton, MA and San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.
• Robert Dreyfuss, Alexandria, VA -- a contributing editor and writer for The Nation, Rolling Stone, The American Prospect, Mother Jones, and other publications.
• John Ericson, New York, NY -- a partner in a New York City law firm.
• Ed Hale, New York, NY -- internationally known singer/songwriter and recording artist in the rock group Transcendence. He has released six albums, and is also a writer and social activist.
• Lynda Howland, Pittsford, NY -- a retired social worker who is active in numerous social justice organizations in the Rochester, NY region.
• Helen Lindsay, Ridgewood, NJ -- a peace and justice activist who has participated in human rights delegations to Latin America.
• Ed Martin, Akron, PA (co-leader) -- the Iran Program Coordinator for American Friends Service Committee, and the former director of the Central & Southern Asia Program for the Mennonite Central Committee.
• Carah Ong, Washington, DC -- the Iran Policy Analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, where her work focuses on Iran, nuclear weapons, missile defense, and the greater Middle East.
• Sister Ellen Francis Poisson, Augusta, GA (co-leader) -- an Episcopal priest and nun who lived in Iran in the 1960s and '70s, and who has led several interfaith peace delegations to the country.
• Benjamin Whaley, Washington, DC -- a software developer and senior associate with an environmental consulting firm that works with the U.N. and various international government agencies.

Reflections on meetings with religious leaders in Iran
by Ellen Francis, OSH, delegation co-leader, February-March 2008

Each time I visit Iran I am amazed by new people and new experiences which deepen my love and respect for the Iranian people. Here are some reflections on our meetings with religious leaders and other related experiences on this trip.

The Christian groups in Iran include the Armenians, Assyrians, and Chaldean Catholics. We met with two Armenian bishops, both of whom both expressed the importance of the presence of the Christian community in Iran and of their identity as Iranians as well as Christians. Archbishop Sarkissian in Teheran spoke of the need for mutual respect in living as a minority Christian group in the Islamic Republic of Iran. He spoke of the mission to the apostles to convert all people, but he said that there are many ways for conversion, for example by living a holy life or by manifesting a specific faith.

We also met with Chaldean Catholic Bishop Ramzi-Garmou, who is originally Iraqi and has lived in Iran for more than 30 years. He spoke especially about the difficulties of Christians in Iraq, and told us that 200,000 Chaldean Catholics have left Iraq since the invasion. A few days later we learned that the bishop in Iraq had been kidnapped, and unfortunately we had no opportunity to send our expressions of concern.

Throughout our visit we heard only respect for Christian faith. At one point I gave my calling card to someone and pointed out the icon on the back, saying that it was of "Mary and Jesus". The person corrected me, saying that it was a representation of "Hezrat Mariam" or "Holy Mary" not just plain "Mary". This reflects the reverence that Muslims have for the mother of Jesus.

Although I had visited a Jewish synagogue in Iran before, this was my first experience of attending a worship service. The worship space was large, but even so it was completely packed with men on the ground floor and women on a balcony. At the conclusion of the service, there was a crowd around us and several of the men spoke for all to hear, saying that their lives were comfortable in the Islamic Republic and that they had complete freedom and equality. On two occasions, the women drew me aside and commented privately that their lives were more complicatetd than that but they did not give specifics.

In Qom, we met several religious leaders, and I was especially grateful to meet Dr. Shaker who is an expert on comparative Qur'an and Bible study and who has experience in interfaith dialogue. I was also pleased to hear Ayatollah Bojnourdi, who is an advocate for women's study of theology and Qur'an. During past delegations, we have heard more conservative clergy speak of women as primarily mothers and wives, rather than serious theological students.

We witnessed several expressions of Islamic worship and piety. At the Imam Khomeini shrine we were present for formal prayers, and this was a profound experience for several members of our group. On another occasion we witnessed a street demonstration of mourning, and I was amazed that our presence (with cameras) went largely unnoticed by the participants. Although there were many signs and posters in support of Palestinians, there was only one "Down with USA" sign.

Care for the poor is of great importance in Islam, and I've noticed far fewer beggars on the streets than before the Revolution. We asked about the NGOs and governmental organizations that distribute relief, and we were told that these organizations can keep track of who is really in most need of assistance, but we were not completely convinced that this is the whole story.

I am home only one day and am just beginning to process the experience of being back in Iran. I am so very grateful to FOR for giving me this opportunity.

Please contact the FOR Communications Office to arrange interviews with or speaking engagements by these civilian diplomats.