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More reflections on the Ahmadinejad meetings
Submitted by FOR on October 3, 2008 - 11:12am.
An excellent article appears in the current issue of The Jewish Week, focused on Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb's presentation at the interfaith "iftar" dinner with Iranian President Ahmadinejad last Thursday, September 25th. Titled "Speaking Up to Iran Leader -- Gingerly," the article describes the courageous speech by Gottlieb at the event, as the only Jewish leader speaking that evening. Rabbi Lynn is a long-time leader in the Fellowship of Reconciliation, having worked at FOR many years ago with the Jewish Peace Fellowship and having led some two dozen interfaith peace-building delegations to Israel & Palestine over the past quarter-century. In April-May 2008, Rabbi Lynn co-led a civilian diplomacy and peace-building delegation sent by FOR to Iran.
Comments also continue to flow in to FOR (and to be posted on blogs, etc.) about the meeting that FOR hosted one day earlier, between President Ahmadinejad and member of the U.S. peace community (the iftar event was hosted by five other organizations). Here is a selection of recent reflections we've received and columns we've found online:
- From the Erie Times News (Erie PA) -- highlighting David Robinson, executive director of Pax Christi USA and a member of FOR's May 2006 delegation to Iran: "Pax Christi head met with Iranian president"
- From the Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester NY) by Lynda Howland, a peace and international human rights solidarity activist in Pittsford NY, and member of FOR's Feb./March 2008 delegation to Iran: "Meeting with Iranian leader reinforces need to seek peace"
- Joe Lombardo, founding member of both Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace (based in the Capital District of New York, aka Albany NY) and the Muslim Solidarity Committee: "Meeting with President Ahmadinejad"
- Paul Kawika Martin, organizing and policy director at Peace Action and a member of FOR's March 2007 delegation to Iran: "Meeting with Iranian President Ahmadinejad"
- Ed Hale, cofounder of the Peace With Iran web site and a member of FOR's February/March 2008 delegation to Iran: "Summary of Meeting with President Ahmadinejad - Part 1 of 3"
The Unitarian Universalist Association issued this press release on President Bill Sinkford's participation: The UU membership has responded in numerous ways to the statement and Sinkford's participation. One positive example is a posting by Rev. Kit Ketcham to her blog (which received numerous comments from readers). A condeming response titled "Welcome for Ahmadinejad?" on the other hand, was posted by Victoria Weinstein on her "Peacebang" blog.
The following remarks are excerpted from a message from Tom Cornell, long-time leader in the Catholic Peace Fellowship and also the New York Catholic Worker:
I'm glad I came... Mark Johnson [executive director of FOR] was most impressive. His introduction to the program was well conceptualized and well constructed. Pres. Ahmadinejad was personable. I understand why questions had to be filtered. I am glad that their authors were allowed to present them. Medea Benjamin [co-founder of CodePink and Global Exchange] made a strong impression with her questions about visas denied and granted for no apparent reason and restrictions put upon delegations to Iran, especially in regard to access to NGOs there. Mr. Ahmadinejad spent his first 35 minutes stringing banality to cliche. He justified the US-UK invasion of Iraq! Astounding! Then he ignored some questions, gave others short shrift. The spirit of the exchanges was nevertheless positive. Mr. Ahmadinejad and his delegation were given respect and a polite reception along with some hard questions.
The principle aim of the meeting was met: to keep lines of communication open for dialogue. FOR deserves great credit for that.
UUA President Bill Sinkford - Diplomat Or Dilettante?
The response from Unitarian*Universalists aka U*Us to UUA President Bill Sinkford's participation in the FOR meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is overwhelmingly critical and negative, at least insofar as it is represented by U*U bloggers. Most U*U bloggers who blogged about President Sinkford's participation, and most U*U comments posted to those blog posts, expressed disappointment and even dismay at President Sinkford's role. Most U*U bloggers who wrote about it perceived President Sinkford's participation as a self-aggrandizing UUA PR stunt that did more harm than good. The content of the Unitarian Universalist Association's "press release" about President Bill Sinkford's participation that you link to tends to bear out this negative assessment.
Please allow me to provide the URLs of the various U*U related blog posts about this issue that I am aware of, so that your readers may make up their own minds about UUA President Bill Sinkford's questionable participation in this meeting and U*U response to it -
http://pfarrerstreccius.blogspot.com/2008/09/ahmadinejad-honors-rev-sink...
http://pfarrerstreccius.blogspot.com/2008/10/sinkford-and-ahmadinejad-it...
http://www.peacebang.com/2008/10/01/welcome-for-ahmadinejad/
http://www.peacebang.com/2008/10/02/a-response-from-the-exec-director-of...
http://chalicechick.blogspot.com/2008/10/cc-goes-off-on-sinkford-meeting...
http://boyinthebands.com/archives/on-sinkford-and-ahmadinejad/
http://www.paulwilczynski.com/2008/10/sinkford-thinks-talking-to-mahmoud...
http://beeveedee.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/simply-talking-does-not-make-y...
http://mskittyssaloonandroadshow.blogspot.com/2008/10/just-full-of-quest...
http://serenityhome.wordpress.com/2008/10/03/the-fool-as-prophetic-voice...
When contrasted with Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb's presentation as described in The Jewish Week article, UUA President Bill Sinkford's participation in the FOR dialogue with Iranian President Ahmadinejad comes across as more pathetic than prophetic, particularly when one sees how President Ahmadinejad completely ignored all but one of Rev. Bill Sinkford's soft-ball "questions and concerns" and responded to his question about the treatment of women in Iran in a condescending and dismissive manner.
peace meeting
I appreciate your listing my post in your article. I believe that what you and FOR did, including the president of my religious tradition, Bill Sinkford, was prophetic and courageous, whether others see it that way or not. Only time will tell whether your act has produced any positive effect, other than the inner sense of being called to act and doing so.
But when we are prophetic, we are often doing it because we have to do it, not because it is going to change our enemy's mind. You have been criticized because you did not bring power to the table, the traditional power that supposedly gets things done. You brought, in my opinion, a different kind of power to the table, the power of courage and a willingness to sit down with one who may use and abuse you, but whom you see as another human being.
That motivation is fully supported by my own faith tradition's First Principle: that we affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. That is our founding principle and it is often hard to act upon, particularly with a man whose behavior has been heinous. To see him as a person with inherent worth and dignity is hard, but you did it. Thank you.
Dialogue Vs. Monologue. . .
"The principle aim of the meeting was met: to keep lines of communication open for dialogue. FOR deserves great credit for that."
How much actual dialogue was there? From the sound of it the FOR meetings consisted of a series of monologues presented by both sides. This is particularly true of UUA President Bill Sinkford's questions that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad totally ignored, aka evaded answering to, all but one of them and brushed off the only "concern" he deigned to respond to in a condescending and dismissive (to say nothing of sexist) manner. I for one do not consider multiple monologues to constitute bona fide dialogue.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dialogue
What response, if any, did President Ahmadinejad provide to Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb's presentation aka speech? Or need I ask?
"He gave a politician’s answers. He spoke a lot. He skirted key issues."
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/monologue
Was the purpose of this meeting to protect the Zionist entity?
I would like to see the transcript, but from your blog posts, it seems to me that your intention in meeting with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran was to do the bidding of the zionist entity (aka "israel" ) ---- and you wanted to "gingerly" tell him off, based on the lies perpetuated by the Zionists with regards to so-called "anti-semitism."
It is as if you would prefer that no Muslims should raise their voices against the despised and racist ideology of Zionism, further the assumption of your "talks" were that the President is someone to be confronted for his views. Or, if Muslims and Muslim leaders do raise our voices, it has to be done in accordance with your wishes, and must meet your approval. This is the kind of mentality that those in the civil rights community, especially African Americans have had to deal with for decades - where white liberals come along and talk down to African American leadership.
FOR, the fact is that President Ahmadinejad is widely loved amongst Muslims everywhere, precisely because he is the one of the few who has not allowed himself to be a puppet of the US, and the Zionists, if that is a problem for you, then you are not going to be reconciling anything. Deal first with idiots like Obama and Bush and McCain and the leaders of Zionism who constantly threaten not only Iran, but - Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Pakistan --- all Muslim countries.
If there is any anti-Jewish sentiment amongst Muslims, then that is a direct result of Jewish people idenitifying themselves with Zionism and the rotten to the core Zionist entity - no Muslim has a problem with anti-Zionist Jews, and never would - because anti-Zionist jewish people are our comrades in struggle.
What About *African American* UUA President Bill Sinkford Then?
"This is the kind of mentality that those in the civil rights community, especially African Americans have had to deal with for decades - where white liberals come along and talk down to African American leadership."
So what is your take on UUA President Bill Sinkford's participation in the FOR meetings then?
I am genuinely curious to know what you think about it.
Courage?
Some Answers To President Sinkford's Questions And Concerns
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